Young Love
by DarkLink107
Summary: Yaoi Dark Link x Link. When seven years test the childhood love that was cut short by destiny, will the hero and his shadow still hold dearly the memories that made them so happy? Or will they try to make new ones?
1. Miracle From Out of the Bush

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_, otherwise, I would have made it sure that a certain shadow we all know would have greater parts.

**Rated:** PG for angst, small language, and whatever my mind thinks of…

**Pairing: **Only Shounen ai for now. Dark Link/Link. Pending whether or not something will happen in later chapters.

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_**Chapter One: **Miracle From Out of the Bush_

He tore apart a yellow flower between his fingers, wandering away from the noise of the other Kokiri. His face was smudged with dirt that also decorated his hands. The little Hylian boy didn't care whether or not anymore that his hands were able to wipe his cheeks off. It was strange how only a few minutes before, Link was playing with Saria and a few others. The object of the game was to chase one another around meaninglessly until it either got dark, or the group was forced to stop due to extreme exhaustion and dizziness. Simply put, a child's paradise.

However, one boy in particular was cast out by another boy who claimed he was the boss of the Kokiri. It was him who first started it. The ignoring. Now before, it was clear to Link that not _everyone_ accepted him like Saria did. She was the reason why most of the Kokiri played with him and didn't reject him like Mido.

The little boy sniffed, swiping some golden locks out of his face and frowning deeply to keep from crying. In the secluded woods he settled in front of a tree, trying to occupy his mind of tearing apart another flower he had picked up. Soon the flower was torn into fractions beyond anymore tearing, and the child just let it fall to the ground next to him. Next to the broken flower was another one, intact and beautiful as it stood proudly. Link looked from that one, to another flower of the same kind near it. He realized that surrounding the cripple, torn flower were many gorgeous alike flowers. At that, he hugged his knees, bent his head down, and cried.

It was a usual routine that happened a few times a week when Link didn't spend the whole day in his tree house. Mido and the other Kokiri would take no notice of him from playing to casual socializing, Link would get upset and run off, and after a little while, Saria would come looking for him to take him back home. Sometimes the fairies followed their child's examples and taunt him by asking him to join the Kokiri only to be shunned when he arrived to the game. He figured if even some of the fairies, one's image of goodness, would be so cruel, then he was as worthless and as big of a loser as he was told by Mido. Now he had never heard of the outside world, of course, and hurting himself or thoughts of suicide never came to him. As a child would think, running away was the best answer. However, when under stress and being close to hysterical, it's hard for one to get through the mind tricking paths of the Lost Woods.

Foot steps were heard coming to where the blonde boy was huddled. _Saria…_he thought on cue, readying himself for the same 'They just don't understand you, Link' speech. A hand gripped his arm and a soft, silky object was tapping on his forehead. The Hylian looked up and froze. Crouching next to him was not Saria, but another little boy. What shocked Link was that this little boy looked exactly like him.

"Here," the young clone said, pushing a flower up to Link's nose. The Hylian sneezed at the tickling touch, causing the stranger to laugh. "No wonder you tore those flowers up. You must be allergic to 'em," he smiled warmly and waved the flower side to side. Link just stared, wide eyed. The first second, the Hylian thought he was looking into a reflection of some mirror, but he realized that there were indeed some differences between this look alike and himself. For one thing, he had long, ebony locks that curved around his face perfectly, while Link's were yellow and a bit untidy. In the dim lighting under the shade of the trees, the boy's eyes looked maroon, but reflected a bright, fiery red when he moved.

The boy chuckled again and poked Link's cheek. "Wake up, Link. You're daydreaming again," he said as he grabbed the blonde's arms and pulled him up.

"Who'er you?" Link leaned forward and gripped the boy's sleeve. His tunic was the same too, but darker. Link wasn't even aware that the Kokiri made a tunic in such a color.

At first the ebony haired boy just looked confused. He raised his dark eyebrows, his bright eyes looking bigger than before. Then he grinned and swiped his arm away from Link and skipped backwards. "I'll tell you if you catch me first," he chirped. Before Link even opened his mouth, the other boy disappeared from view, leaving nothing but the rustle of bushes behind him.

"Well, if that's how he wants it…" the blonde sighed as he dashed into the bushes after his new acquaintance. For the first time in weeks, Link was smiling as he played chase.

xXxXx

The brunette looked as though he was in a fast paced dance as he hurried past the trees, bushes, and rocks. He was laughing the whole time while Link simply tried to keep up. The child stopped abruptly on a rock right in front of a creek. His arms were raised away from his sides for play and for balance as he grinned. Suddenly, Link shut out of the bush behind him at full speed and couldn't stop before they collided and both fell into the creek. The Hylian bolted up and started stepping out of the water, but a hand gripped his shirt and pulled him back. "Hey, there. You're dirty. Lemme help clean ya up first!" the boy sang as he snaked an arm around Link's waist from behind, and started rubbing the blonde's cheek. The dark boy's grin soon got to Link as the Hylian splashed a small wave of water into the other boy's face. "I'm the clean one! That ain't fair!" he grinned stepping back and wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"I caught you!" Link yelped as he was splashed back. The ebony was readying for another storm of water until Link swung his hands up in surrender. "You said! You said you'd tell me your name!"

The boy looked confused again, and Link expected him to bolt out excitedly like he did back between the bushes and trees. Yet he just stood there, soaked in the water. "Name…?"

Link nodded and stepped closer.

"I never said I'd give you my name," he stated calmly, taking in the sudden sadness to come over Link's features. "I said I told you who I was, and I will. But as for a name…" he shuffled nervously, but had a sheepish grin on his face. "…I ain't got one." The child laughed as if a simple knock-knock joke was announced. Before Link had a chance to question _why_ the other boy didn't have a name to go by, the ebony spoke up, "But I said what I said, and what I said I will say."

A moment of silence passed as Link rung his tunic's bottom to try and rid some water from it. "Aaaaand?"

"Well," the strange boy chuckled, "I'm your friend." Link had to hold himself from falling back in the water from such an unexpected response. The darker child grinned and grabbed the Hylian's wrist and started tugging him away and out of the creek. "From what I've seen-"

"Just what have you seen? How do you know my name? Why do you _look_ like me!" Link ripped his hand away and stood back defensively. "What are you, a stalker?"

The other boy smiled devilishly. "Maybe I am." His eyes narrowed almost cat-like as he stepped closer to the blonde. "Or maaaaybe…" He jumped at Link, wiping his arms around and hugging the Hylian's shoulders. "I just thought you were lonely."

Link was dumbstruck. Not only was a complete stranger hugging him, but a complete stranger that had no name, knew too much about him than what he found comfortable, and looked unnervingly like himself. Heat raised to his face as his slowly gripped the boy's shoulders and pulled him back, turning his face to the grinning one of his new acquaintance. "Thanks, but no thanks," he gulped and lightly shoved the darker boy back. "I'm fine and although I appreciate your…" he searched for a word. "…concern. I'm fine and should _really_ be getting back to my other friends now." He forced a smile and waved, stepping back and turning. "'Bye, 'bye!"

The blonde Hylian was about to sprint away until-"If they're your friends, then why do they make you cry?" Link stopped, arms limp at his sides and slowly, sadly, looked back. The other child had a dark look on his features now, as if mentioning the Kokiri gave his mouth a sour taste. "If they're your friends, then why do they ignore you?" He stepped forward, scaring Link for some lost reason and causing him to back up, away from the other boy. "If they're your friends-" the child dashed in front of Link swiftly and grabbed the blonde's wrist again, leaning his face forwards so that indomitable fire met near-tearing blue. "-why aren't they here, now, to be with you. Why aren't they here to comfort you? That's what friends do, Link. And you're not going to think of those _Kokiri_-" he turned his head and spat the word at the ground, then turned back to Link's face, "-as friends as long as I'm here with you now." Link could only gawk. Without warning, the menacing frown that once covered the ebony's features disappeared and was replaced by a warming, soft-hearted grin. "I'll race ya to the tree house!" he laughed and bolted away, wearing a new path as he stamped through the grass and small plants in his way.

Standing there, he took in what was just said to him. Slowly he looked up in the direction the other boy dashed away in. He smiled and yelled, "I'll beat ya there!"

xXxXx

And beat him Link did, though it seemed like the darker child purposely had tripped over that stump. If Link wasn't so determined with long lost competition running through his veins, he would've noticed the sappy, over-dramatic fall the ebony preformed as he toppled over the stub.

Both were out of breath as they finally entered the cozy dwelling known as the Kokiri Village. Link dropped to his knees, laughing and panting, a bad combination when trying to regain your breath. Next to him the ebony appeared, grinning equally as much and crouching over with his palms gripping his knees. "Lets (pant) hurry. It's going to (pant) get dark soon."

The Hylian nodded reflexively, but stopped and looked up at the sky. From the lack of clouds and gain of sunshine, one would consider calling this perfect weather. "What are you talking about? It's still bright out-"

"Hurry!" the boy yelled as he began sprinting past the living quarters of the Kokiri and waved his left hand into the air, motioning Link to follow.

Once Link had caught up, still panting from the rush of the ladder, there he found his new friend. The boy was trudging around the home as if he knew it as well as the blonde, or better. Yet at the same time, his eyes still seemed to hold a sense of awe as he went through the various goods through the trunk, ruffled the already wrinkled clothes in the corner, and tested the softness of the small bed with a plop. The Hylian joined him on the bed and leaned back onto the wall, closing his eyes.

Countless times before, he'd slept, ate, and just sat and thought in this one room abode by himself. It always occurred to Link that it was too quiet, but after some time, the Hylian had given up on making conversation with the walls for the sake of talking. It was strange now, not in a bad way, but in the kind that you surely noticed. The sense that someone else was with him made him happy. Link smiled at that thought. No, not just happy, but excited too. Eager, curious, the whole shebang and-

"You sure look awfully happy. Dreaming of somethin'?" the boy said, tugging at Link's hair as though intrigued by its texture. "I like your hair, it's bouncy."

He smiled as Link only stared at him. _He's…different alright…But in a…good way. Yeah, good,_ the blonde thought as he reached up to the other's head. "Yours isn't," he smiled and pulled at the ebony strands gently. "It's flatter and…darker." He tugged again. "And your eyes. They aren't like mine either."

The other boy gave a cheeky grin and ruffled Link's hair in response to the pulling he had received. "Of course they ain't the same. I'm not your clone, ya know," he chuckled when he saw the mess the Hylian's hair had turned into.

"Then what are you?" Link asked.

The darker child shrugged, "Dunno aside from what I already told ya." He smiled and pulled his legs up so he could sit cross-legged. "I'm your friend!"

Link nodded and smiled back. _He certainly is determined. _His hand raised and moved over to the brunette's forehead, brushing aside the bangs that hung over the bright irises. "Well, you look like me, kinda, and…" he pondered for any other info, "…ya know a lot about me." He blushed, taking his hand away and sitting back against the wall. "So, you're like a-"

"Guardian!" the boy shouted, grabbing his ankles and rocking forward. "Yeah! I'll be your guardian or somethin'. That's perfect!"

However, the Hylian looked a bit questionable at the thought. "I don't think you can just…become someone's guardian."

"Why not?"

Getting backed into a corner, Link looked away. "I dunno," he muttered. "Guardians usually…ya know, protect their being and look after them." To be perfectly honest, Link had no idea how to describe a guardian because he's never seen or heard of one, let alone hear a direct definition of one. "Like a guardian angel or something."

"I'll protect you, and that's pretty much looking after ya, so that's two things down. Anything else?" he pressured with a small smile growing on his features. Link gulped and rubbed the back of his head, opening his mouth, but lost for words. Upon seeing the Hylian wasn't responding, the other boy jumped off the bed in one graceful leap, and stretched his arms out. "That settles it! I'm your new guardian!" He straightened his posture and made a salute. The child would have looked a bit soldier worthy if it weren't for the grin he still wore. "At your service, sir!"

And not for the first time that day, Link was dumbfounded. He nodded slowly and slid to the edge of the bed so his legs dangled over the side. "Alright…then. I guess." He looked away, but smiled, stood up, and approached his friend, pointing his finger out and pushing it into the ebony's chest. "But in that case, you need a name. If you're going to be my guardian, you need a name first."

The brunette titled his head at this, but nodded. "As you wish, Master."

Link's nose wrinkled at that. "Eck, don't call me Master. Just Link." The boys both thought for a moment. "Well, speaking of guardian angel…what about…Angel?"

The ebony spat out his tongue. "Too girly."

"Well, your hair's darker than mine…So Darky?"

"I don't like a lot of the names that end with a y."

"Oh yeah, of course," Link thought aloud as he rubbed his chin. He looked over his friend again, pondering if any of his features could help with the naming.

While he was gazing at the brunette's eyes again, something he found himself doing more and more, Link saw a spark of realization hit the other boy's face. "Shadow."

"Eh?" the Hylian asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like the kind that follows you around on walls?"

The dark child nodded.

"Why? You'd think Chad or Morris would be a better name than that."

"Yeah, but something inside of me kinda-are you nuts? Morris!" Link laughed nervously and waved his hands in front of him to show the brunette he was joking. "Alright," he sighed, looking up after and smiling awkwardly. "I know it's a strange name, but somethin' inside of me just sparked and I think that it means something." Link still stared at him with his raised eyebrow. The other boy laughed, "Better than Angel or Chad, that's for sure."

The Hylian nodded, but still had some thought on his face. "Well, that could be your last name."

"Last…name?"

"Sure," Link pounded his fists together in conclusion. "And your first name will be…Onyx! Perfect!"

"…Own-ex?"

"No, no, onyx. It's a stone. A black stone that's shiny and, well, you can find it in rocks, but-Oh! You get the point. Your hair is black and shiny, so…Onyx," Link said as he gave a shrug and a weak smile.

The dark child smirked, "You like my hair a lot, don'cha?"

"What?...Yeah, I guess…It's…nice, I guess, so…" he trailed off looking in another direction away from the devilish leer that reflected off the other boy's face. Without warning, he burst out laughing, running his hands through his hair while his other arm wrapped around his stomach.

Link laughed with him and put his right hand on the ebony's left shoulder. "It's done then. Your name is Onyx Shadow from here on," he said, smiling warmly.

The newly named boy smiled and placed his right hand on Link's shoulder so they connected like some sort of a small human chain. "It's official then. I, Onyx Shadow, am now your guardian, Link."

A moment of silence past, but it wasn't awkward in the least. Actually, the silence was warming, homely, and surely welcoming. The boys just stood there with small, slightly embarrassed smiles on their faces. Although, no sooner had Onyx had another one of his traditional mood swings and tackled Link to the ground, beginning a game of wrestling.

The Hylian had gotten the other boy in a head lock, but was the grace of a spirit, Onyx had squeezed his head through the grip and pinned Link down with the blonde's hands behind his back. "No…fair," came Link's muffled words through the pressure of the wooden floor. He struggled for a minute, then fell limp.

"How so?" Shadow teased as he leaned his head over to meet Link's scrunched up expression. The Hylian took this chance and tried to buck off his captor with little success. In return, Onyx moved his hands to Link's sides.

A bolt of utter terror went through the blonde once he felt a ghostly touch drift over his stomach and sides. "You wouldn't," Link snarled.

"Oh really, friend?" The Hylian's glare no sooner turned into a bursting, overjoyed face laughing uncontrollably. "Threats mean nothing as long as ya can't even look me fiercely in the eye."

"You'll pay! Hah! Hah! I'll find your-Haha!- weakness and then- Haha!- we'll see who's laug-Hahaha!" Link cried out as he struggled even harder to free himself from his look-alike's clutches.

Onyx was surely enjoying himself and even took the liberty of getting the hard spots under Link's arms. At this the Hylian broke into laugh that could be considered screaming if some of the noise wasn't blocked by the flooring. "Say pretty please!" Onyx cackled into the blonde's ear.

Yet Link hadn't gotten another word out before his right arm was finally released from the dark child's grasp and whirled up achingly to grab his collar. The brunette's expression changed immediately as his position quickly changed from over tickling Link, to being pinned against the wooden floor by his shoulders. "Got you!" Link panted, now wearing the victorious grin. "It's your turn now, I told you that I'd get-"

But his sentence was cut short by soft, childish lips planted firmly on his cheek. Onyx leant back, his lips and Link's cheeks making a small sound as they separated. The ebony haired child smiled angelically up at Link and, with no effort, pushing one of Link's shoulders so that the Hylian literally tipped aside. "That was fun, but I'm getting sleepy," Onyx said, stretching his arms out and yawning. The little boy stood up, slightly brushing himself off of any invisible dirt. Once satisfied, he gaze lingered back onto the floor. There Link still sat, wide eyed and giving off a blush so red, Onyx pondered if his face could burn something on contact. So, being the curious child he was, the brunette leaned over and pinched Link's cheek.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?" yelped the Hylian, suddenly getting up and rubbing a hand against his cheek.

Onyx grinned and stood up, "Your face was so red that I thought-"

"No!" Link yelled, grabbing the brunette's wrist as if he thought the boy would bolt away if he let go. "You kissed me!"

"I would consider that as more of a peck."

"Nonetheless, what was that about!"

The boy chuckle, cocked his head, and slowly pulled his wrist from the Hylian's grasp. Instead, Onyx laced his fingers though Link's and gave a squeeze of affection with his knuckle. "Ya looked pretty cute, and I thought you deserved an award for _finally_ overcoming my awesome tickling power," he snickered, sticking his tongue out.

"I…you don't just…And I'm not cute!"

Onyx only grinned as Link turned away, a crimson color threatening to edge onto his cheeks again. "Alright, whatever you say, Link," the brunette laughed, tugging at his hold onto Link over to the bed. "But right now, at this moment, I highly insist you go to sleep." Link raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that, Link. As your guardian, I say a good night's sleep is a…necessity for…good…eh…" he trailed off, but broke into a sheepish grin after a moment. The blonde sighed and, after a nod of agreement, stripped off his clothes, save for a pair of white shorts and a small, old shirt, and got into bed. He moved over as far as he could and pushed the pillow off to the side so that two heads would have been able to fit on it.

"Not tonight, I gotta run. I promise though, I'll see ya tomorrow!" Onyx chirped, plopping down onto the bed on top of Link's legs. He leaned in and pecked the Hylian's cheek again with another small, innocent kiss. "Slight tight and don't let the Deku Babas bite!" And he was off.

The blonde sighed. _I didn't even get to say good night…He didn't even give me a change to talk, that loud mouth, _he thought, smiling to himself. He continued to smile as he scrunched up his body and pulled the covers over his shoulder to ensure that his whole body was tucked in tight. He breathed in for a final yawn, but wrinkled his nose and sneezed. "Huh?" he grunted, too ready to go to sleep and disgruntled even for whatever was keeping him up. He peered at his sheets through the dim light, faintly realizing that it was indeed rather late and that the two of them must've been playing for longer than he thought. He moved around his pillow some more and saw it.

There, under the sheet and lying on the pillow was a small, yellow flower. It didn't take more than a second for Link to realize how it got there and grinned. _I've got a friend now,_ he thought to himself dreamingly. _A hyperactive, chirpy, overly open, funny, and affectionate friend._ Link chuckled and curled back up into small ball and drifted into a peaceful slumber, the flower gripped lightly in his hand.

xXxXx

"_Shadow, eh? Onyx Shadow? Cutely adorable. It's no doubt a child did in fact think of such a name."_

"I like it. It fits"

"_I know you do and it does. Tell me, child, do you like him?"_

"Yeah! He named me! Me! Of all people and-"

"_You kissed him? Oh, young love. How sweet."_

"It was just a peck…I think he liked it."

"_I see. Well, this is all working out quiet good. I expect then you'll want to st-"_

"Yeah!"

"_Very good, then, little one. That is all for now. Be on your way then."_

"G'bye."

"_Goodbye, child."_

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**A/N:** Well…(blushes) I am back with a new fanfic. This author note is here cause I like when I read a fic and the author makes a comment. Then you feel like you know the author's personality and then reviewing is only more fun.

Anywho, one of my New Years resolutions was to make my chapters bigger. From fics like 'The Legend of Romeo and Juliet' and 'My Last Breath', I only wrote 4 pages or less in WORD, 10 font. Now, this chapter 10 pages in WORD, 10 font. (cheers) From authors like H-7 and HJBender, it's pathetic to only write so little when their beautiful chapters take a good long while to read…then reread cause they're so damn good!

Another thing, I'm only going to answer to reviews in the future chapters if they're questions that won't be answered by the upcoming chapter. So please don't get upset if I don't comment on '**OMG!1111one THAT WAS SO SAD! wHy did dark Link die?' **I'm sure you can last without my '**OMG!eleven! I just made it dat way!11!**

Last, please, R & R because I would really, really like to know what you all think. (grins) Plus, y'all know that's what keeps me going!

Wait, another thing. Please note that the time period this is taking place was when Link was around 10, thus I'm making Dark Link (or Onyx) 10-ish too. They talk differently, and to help me understand the mind of children, I followed my little neighbors around. They're very random, cannot speak with clear dialogue (ex: they say ain't, ya, kinda, gotta, dunno, etc.etc.), and will literally CLING to you if they like you. Most little kids cling to new found friends that like them back, and get excited over seeing a ladybug. Hah, and they don't go with proper things that are common, just as instead of a normal name, Dark Link and Link decided to name the shadow off of what he looked like and what they thought sounded cool.

Just go along with the fish-game-shop-guy. He no talk good. (laughs)

(sighs) Aww, how boring. The stars and the smiles made out of symbols aren't allowed on 


	2. Childish Games

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_, otherwise, I would have made it sure that a certain shadow we all know would have greater parts.

**Rated:** PG for angst, small language, and whatever my mind thinks of…

**Pairing: **Only Shounen ai for now. Dark Link/Link. Pending whether or not something will happen in later chapters.

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_**Chapter Two: **Childish Games_

_Link._ _Wake up, Link. Link-_"WAKE UP!" Link jolted up from his dreams in a nasty manner, only to be face to face with the floor of his house, entangled in bed sheets. Outside a certain green haired girl huffed and tapped her foot on the ground. "It's almost noon! How can you still be asleep?" he called, placing her hands on her hips in a dignified manner.

Link yawned and rubbed his shoulder. Telling from the dull pain emitting from it, that's where he had landed. "I'm comin'! Hold on!" he grunted and stood up. He heard Saria sigh from outside and could only picture her with her arms crossed, waiting beside the ladder. Without thinking, he grabbed a random tunic from off the floor and sniffed it. "Clean enough," Link muttered as he flung it over his head and shot an arm through each sleeve.

Steps caught his attention while he was fastening his belt. Link looked up to smile weakly at Saria's stern, motherly expression. "It's almost noon and looked at you, not even dressed yet," she sighed and went over to start on Link's bed. "I was worried about you after…well, you know. I tried to look for you a little while after you ran off, but I couldn't find you so I just came home. I'm glad to see that your safe and sound, but do try to not make me worry like that. Also, what Mido said wasn't true- oh, could you get that corner? Good, thanks. Anyway, what he said wasn't true and none of the others believed him. Mido just intimidates them, so they're just acting-"

"Childish?" Link added in lazily. He got this lecture often enough that he could probably recite it as well as his Kokiri friend could. The Hylian faintly wondered in the back of his mind how it was so hard to find him, especially if he was with the loud and playful Onyx whom anyone could've heard from hundreds of yards away.

Saria nodded. "Yes, exactly," she said after the final sheet was perfectly laid over the bed and the pillow was fluffed to perfection. "So, all I'm saying is…Link, what's that?"

The blonde snapped his head to where Saria was pointing and kneeled down. A small yellow, little mush was on the floor. A moment hadn't even passed for Link to recall. The thought made him smile warmly. "It's just a flower. I must've rolled over on it while I was asleep, no biggie," he grinned up at Saria. After a moment of silence, his smile faded away. "What's wrong?"

Once the green haired girl realized she had been staring at Link for awhile, she shook her head and smiled back. "Oh, nothing! I just…Well, it's been so long since I've seen you smile like that. What's the occasion?"

Link shrugged, "Nothin', just feel like smiling."

Saria raised an eyebrow, but took this as a simple good mood and let it slide. The sun was bright and sneaked through all of openings in the house. Wind blew in from the barely covered door, carrying with it the sounds of children playing. "Well, c'mon now, then. You've kept me waiting long enough as it is!" And with a final wave, Saria disappeared leaving a noisy series of footsteps skipping down the ladder.

The blonde smiled, picked the crumbled flower up gently with two hands, and put it on his dresser. He looked at it for a final moment, smiled, and ran off, flinging the drape over his door aside and rushing down the ladder.

xXxXx

"The rules of the game are simple," explained the Boss of the Kokiri, Mido. "If you're tagged, you need to stay down for five Great Deku Trees() before you can get up and tag others again. Ya got that?" The small group of Kokiri children nodded. Towards the back, the green cap of the only supposed Kokiri without a fairy was spotted by Mido. He gave a cocky smirked with his hands on his hips.

However, the blonde in the back took no notice of this. Instead, his gaze was looming over the edges of the village or in cracks of shadowy corners. _He said I'd see 'em today…_Link thought as he tried to find a dark tunic out of all the green outfits of the site.

"Ready…" Mido began, eyeing his target that was currently scanning the entrance of the Lost Woods. "Set…" The Hylian turned his back on the group completely, wondering whether his friend was walking through the trees at this moment. "GO!" Link took a step forward, having decided that he'd wait it out in the game. If his friend were to show up, the blonde knew for certain that the brunette would serve as a loyal alley in the game. Suddenly, as Link was turning to beginning running, a fist collided with his right shoulder, knocking him down completely. "Hah! Got ya, weirdo!" Mido yelled as he ran off with the game.

Link bit his lip as he massaged his shoulder with his left palm. Mido always hit a lot harder than necessary when the Hylian was playing, for reasons Link understood all too well. He sat up straighter and crossed his legs, wincing as the new ache. "One Great Deku Tree, Two Great Deku Tree, Three Great Deku Tree, Four Great Deku Tree, Five Great Deku Tree!"

Link smirked and shot up, the pain temporarily forgotten as he was now back in the game. But all too soon, a hand smacked into his back, sending him down to the ground again. He looked behind him to see another Kokiri boy with hair covering his face. "Hah! Down again!" the Kokiri yelled, trying to brush some hair out of his eyes as he began running away.

Glaring after him, Link rolled over and sat up, clutching the grass as if the childish counting he repeated was actually cursing. "One Great Deku Tree, Two Great Deku Tree, Three Great Deku Tree, Four Great Deku Tree, Five Great Deku Tree!" Sadly, he hadn't even gotten up before his body was forced to the ground again from another hard tag. "C'mon! I've barely moved from where I started!" Link bellowed, flinging his head around to see the smirking face of Mido.

"Sorry, guess you're just not meant for this game either!" Mido cackled, holding his gut and pointing down to Link. "Only makes sense, seeing that you're not meant to be here at all! Hurry and go on home, frea-AH! Dammit!" The children immediately stopped playing once they heard what they would consider a very bad word. Mido was holding his forehead as some red liquid poured down the side of his face. A small Deku Nut fell to the ground next to him. "Who did that!" the fumed Kokiri screamed when he regained his senses. However, his only response was the faint _zip_ of two more Deku Nuts. The first hit the Kokiri boy with hair in his face some ways off, and the other smacked into Mido's shoulder.

"We're under attack!" a girl with round pigtails cried. She and many other Kokiri sprinted away, knowing well enough that though old and wise they were, the Kokiri weren't fighters. Plainly speaking, a threat to them was enough to scare them away from the area. The site of blood was enough to send them into complete panic.

As for Mido and the other boy, they both yelped and sprang up, running away with the other children. Link had stayed, being the courageous boy he was, and grabbed the closest thing he could find that could fit as a weapon. Unfortunately, it was a used, and slightly cracked Deku Stick. A tree's leaves rustled, and a Deku nut popped out, hitting Link on the head. The different between Link's and Mido's blow was that this Deku Nut was simply tossed from the tree, while Mido's was a full fledged shot hoping to leave injury. Link rubbed his head and looked up into the tree. Glancing behind him, the blonde checked to make sure no one saw him, and then dashed into the bushes.

"Guess I tagged him a bit to hard, eh there, Link?" smirked the familiar face of Onyx. The boy sat up in a tree, tossing up in the air and then catching a Deku Nut. Swaying his arm from his side casually, his hand held what looked like a wooden 'Y' with a rubbery string attached to the top two outspread arms. "C'mon up!" Link grinned and took the hand Onyx offered to him.

Soon the boys were sitting on branches that were the closest to each other and dangling their legs over the sides. "Thank you…" Link blushed a bit. Saying 'thank you' for hurting other people wasn't the most polite thing to do, but he felt that in this situation, it was a sure thing to be grateful for.

"No prob," Onyx smirked, breathing deeply as he leaned against the tree and brought a leg up to his chest. "I wouldn't be doing my job if I let you get hurt right in front of me without showing those guys some discipline. Don't wanna get fired already," he winked.

Link chuckled and leaned back, his eyes trailing off to his friend and stopping at the strange thing in his hand. "What is that thing?" he asked.

"Dunno, really. I found it in the forest and I've just been tinkering with it. Turns out it's a weapon of some sort," Onyx said, holding the item up and eyeing it with a smirk.

The Hylian nodded and smiled. "Mido's going to be feeling that for awhile," Link grinned.

Onyx frowned. "They deserved it," he muttered darkly. A hand landed on his shoulder, and gave a squeeze. The dark child looked up and smiled at Link's smile. Suddenly, his body tensed, and then he jumped up in the tree enthusiastically. "Let's go swimming! Right now, down to the spring. It's perfect weather, all the Kokiri brats are scared out of their wits to come outta their houses, and-" he stuck a hand out and poked the Hylian's nose. "-I'll get to see ya naked!" At this, Link almost fell out of the tree in utter shock, while Onyx literally fell out of the tree holding his gut. His laughter echoed as he ran into the bushes, making his own path.

A few minutes passed and the ebony haired boy wandered back and stood by the tree. "Link?" he called up, waving his hand up in the air.

Meanwhile, several feet up with cheeks as crimson as a red rose in its prime, Link still sat. "…Onyx-"

"Hah! I was just kiddin'! No need to freak out! You're very gullable, ya know? We might have to work on that, 'cause it's not the greatest thing in the world. People'll take advantage of ya and, believe you me, that's not a good thing at all. A lot of dignity and pride is lost and-"

"Onyx!" Link yelled, catching the brunette during his babble. "Let's just go. Now. To the spring. Okay?"

The brunette nodded nervously, and then they were off. A steady pace through the woods, following an invisible path to where the spring was. Both children could've easily gotten lost, for they were barely paying attention. Onyx tried to steal some glances at the blonde, but looked ahead every time he saw Link's expression. It wasn't a happy one. The Hylian's ears drooped in embarrassment, but his facial features clearly showed irritation. Thus, from seeing Link's face, Onyx's grin disappeared completely.

"…Link?" Onyx finally spoke, trying to look casual, but staring at the blonde from the corner of his eye.

"What?"

The ebony haired boy went through his words, "Are you mad at me?" Link suddenly stopped his walking. "Sorry! Sorry! I was only asking, of course you're mad. That joke-wasn't funny in the least. Heh, I have that problem, talking so much that I pull random things out of the air and try to piece them toge-"

"Onyx."

"…Sorry."

"It's…alright. Just relax," Link turned and smiled, giving Onyx a playful, light punch in the shoulder. "'Bet I can beat ya the rest of the way to the spring!"

"You're on!" Onyx yelled, suddenly very relieved to have somehow settled his outburst from earlier on. His grin was back in no time as the two ran through the cluster of plants and broken branches. Onyx preformed another dramatic trip over an imaginary rock when they neared the end. He smiled warmly when Link announced he had won. Faintly, he thought in the back of his mind how winning was a perfect self esteem builder.

The boys sat at the edge of the spring with their bare feet dangling into the water, simply enjoying the cool waves in between their toes. From behind, two pairs of small boots were scattered carelessly over the grass. The spring itself was considerable small to an average sized adult. However, to a child, the spring was a perfect sized swimming pool that could entertain for hours in the right weather. They gazed into the water, narrowing their eyes to see as far as they were able. "Hey," Link pointed with his foot to a old, stone structure in the water. "What's that? I've never noticed it there before."

Onyx cocked his head and stood up, unfastening the leather of his belt. "Well, then," he grinned, taking his dark cap off. "Let's find out!" Then, without giving the Hylian a chance to cover his face, the brunette jumped into the water, making as big of a wave as he could with such a small body.

Link got up and squinted into the finely rippled water. His mind was working through whether it was better for him to wait for the brunette to emerge or jump in after him. Finally the blonde looked down and started unhooking his belt and sliding it off. Suddenly, some water droplets scattered on his face. The Hylian looked up only to be face to face with the soaked grin of none other than Onyx. "What…?" Link stared. Something in that devilish grin the brunette had felt very unnerving.

It was too late before Onyx had grabbed onto Link's shoulders and flung him into the spring beside them. Soon a blonde head surfaced, and as a hand reached up to wipe some bangs from his face, a pair of glaring eyes came into view. "Ya took long enough," Onyx grinned, leaning down at the edge of the pond. Link swam over to the side and grappled his fists into a cluster of weeds clinging over the shore. The brunette smiled and offered his hand. "Cold water's a great way to wake up, wouldn't you say so, Li-"

However, the boy's sentence was never completed because the Hylian took the hand offering as a chance to grab on to Onyx's hand with both of his, use his legs against the shore, and pull with all the weight of his body and might. The plan succeeded.

Link hoisted himself on the shore for the small fear that his hysterical laughter was going to cause him to take on water, or that the brunette was going to drown him himself. He held his gut and smiled innocently when his friend gasped out of the water. He coughed and looked up at the blonde. "Sorry," Link said in a singing voice, and waved, as if the 'sorry' meant nothing. "Couldn't resist some quick payback." Onyx chuckled and swam to the side, crossing his arms on the shore and sighing. The Hylian's bare foot tapped him on the side, causing Onyx to look up at the blue eyes. "Did you see what it was?" he asked, and once seeing the brunette's confused expression, grabbed his arm to help him onto the shore. "Here, get up. See? That, down in the water. That…thing. What is it?"

Onyx narrowed his eyes and peered into the water, wishing he hadn't made so shaky and unsettled at this point. "Oh," he sat back up and looked back into the Hylian's eyes. "It's a gate…kinda. You see, it's a portal that, if you swim into it, you appear in Lake Hylia. It's beautiful, and full of fish. Big ones, not like these.

"And there's this fishing place that holds records for the biggest fishes and the fisherman who caught 'em," Onyx grinned at this point, "My record has yet to be beaten or even come close to, if I may say so myself. The guy who runs it would've probably liked me if I didn't mess with him so much. I can't help it, the guy's just too weird to not mess with. Says I'll make 'em bald one day. I'd like to place a bet on that."

Link sat and listened, eyes wide and full of curiosity. Never before has an actual outsider told him about the outside world. Faintly in the back of his mind, Link concluded for the first time since meeting Onyx that his new friend was definitely not from around here. That only opened more questions, but the Hylian pushed them aside and scooted closer to listen as the brunette explained the size of the fish by extending his arms. "No way," Link shook his head.

"I swear."

"Fish can't get _that_ big."

"How would you know? You've only had these lil' dinky 'ole springs your whole life. Bet'cha never even seen a lake before."

Link sighed. Of course, the golden rule among the Kokiri was that you never left the forest. That meant certain death. Or so, that's what they were told. "I wish I could see a lake then."

"Heh, you should see the ocean then. A lake's nothing compared to an ocean," Onyx sighed in a dreamy state. Staring out into the water, but seeing something entirely different than a small spring.

A poke on his cheek woke him up to reality again. "What's o-shun?"

"The ocean?"

Link nodded. "What is it?"

The brunette immediately swung his hands in front of his face and shook his head, grinning uneasily. "Nothing! Nothing! For now, let's just get you to a lake. Ocean time later."

The blonde's expression saddened at having to remind Onyx of his heritage and of his limits. "Don't you know? I can't leave here. Any Kokiri who leaves the forest will die."

The ebony haired youth raised an eyebrow and made a 'what're you, nuts?' face. "Die…You…sure about that, Link?"

"Yeah…" the Hylian said, looking away after a second. "Well, no…not really. But around here, you mainly trust what ya hear and stick to it."

"If you're telling me," Onyx's brow furrowed as he spoke, "that you simply do whatever that idiot with the orange hair says, then you must be out of your mind." Link shot him a small glare, yet the brunette just gave a sympathetic smile and placed his hand on Link's shoulder. "Link, you ain't gonna drop dead if you were to walk out of this forest. The reason those stories went around, so I've heard, is so the Kokiri don't leave. It's a dangerous place out there. Beautiful, but dangerous. A bunch of kids with no knowledge of how to properly protect themselves would get in deep trouble."

Link looked to the ground embarrassingly. "How do you know that Kokiri like me wouldn't die?"

"Whoever said you were a Kokiri?"

The Hylian's eyes shot up. "What?"

A sudden realization caused Onyx to wave his hands in front of him while giving a sheepish grin. "Nothing! Nothing!" He rubbed the back of his head. "Just, heh…babbling. Nothing, I was just babbling."

The blonde raised an eyebrow, but dismissed the outburst as some childish thought. Of course he was a Kokiri. That was a statement. _What else would I be?_ he thought. _A…oh what are those called. Hylitian, no…no, just…Hylian. Yeah. _He smiled at coming across an immature thought. _It'd be hilarious if I were really a Deku. Or a Zola…is that what they're called? Oh, who cares._ Finally, Link looked up and smiled. "Well then, you gonna show me this portal?"

Onyx reached up and pulled the soaked, green Kokiri cap from Link's head, tossed it over to where his belt and their boots settled, and gripped his hand. "Right now." The brunette got up and tugged up Link's hand with him. "Let's hurry, 'fore it gets dark."

The blonde nodded and got up with him. Quickly, he ripped his belt off and threw it back, regripped Onyx's hand, and on the count of three, they jumped in together.

xXxXx

Link gasped and literally clung to the dark material of Onyx's tunic as they swam to the surface. Never would he be able to dive that far again, and he gave up thinking up how on earth the brunette seemed to do it without a sweat. Faintly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and pull him up onto land. He lay panting for a moment, then opened his eyes to the familiar grin of Onyx.

"Hi!"

"…H-hi…" the blonde panted and tried to sit up. With the assistance of the brunette, holding him up by his shoulder, Link gave a final breath and relaxed. "Onyx?"

"Yep?"

"You are different," Link turned and smiled at him. "In a good way."

At that comment, Onyx beamed and jumped up. "Well, c'mon! We only have a few hours, so let's make the best of 'em!" The brunette turned and started dashing up the hill, stopping only when he reached a door to what looked like a huge building with no roof. Link followed at a slower pace, glancing up only to see a big sign on the side of the building.

**Come One! Come All!**

**And Fish! Fish! Fish!**

**Rent a Rod!**

**Task Your Skills!**

**Catch the Lunker!**

The ebony haired youth grabbed the blonde's hand and pulled him through the door. "Oh, no, no, no! Not you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm back," Onyx smirked up at the owner. "And I'd like to rent two rods today."

The owner leaned over the counter and glared at Link, as though checking to see if the blonde had the same face as a criminal on a wanted poster. "You no good either. I can see it in your eyes. You no good. Kids today! No manners! No manners at all!"

Link held his tongue from laughing. This man's accent was anything but threatening. All the Hylian could do to keep from cackling in front of everyone with simply nod and look back at Onyx. The brunette smirked. He must have thought the same.

Onyx threw a few rupees onto the counter, caught the rods that were practically thrown at his by the disgruntled owner, and trudged over to the shore of the pond. He looked up at Link and smiled proudly. "Here," Onyx said. The brunette handed the rod to Link and held the other on his shoulder. "If you beat my record, I'll take ya out to see the sites." The familiar smiled Link first met when a real friendship was offered to him. "It'll be a date. Just you and me."

Link smiled. "I'll keep ya to your word."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Notes:**

()The equivalent of 'Mississippi' in our world. Example: "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi," etc etc, and so on; A simple childish way of counting.

Review or I'll eat your soul. Haha, no, seriously, review or else. Haha!


	3. The World So Big

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_, otherwise, I would have made it sure that a certain shadow we all know would have greater parts…

**Rated:** PG for angst, small language, and whatever my mind thinks of…

**Pairing: **Only Shounen ai for now. Dark Link/Link. Pending whether or not something will happen in later chapters.

* * *

_**Chapter Three:** The World So Big_

"I can't believe it."

"Believe it."

Onyx shrugged, smiling to himself and shaking his head in disbelief. "Well, I lost. So-"

"By seven pounds, no doubt!" the Hylian said while he beamed with pride as the boys stood in front of the weighing counter.

The owner was currently mumbling as he replaced the old record with the new. "Hey, kid," said the man, leaning over the counter and peering at Link. "What your name? Need your name, or else you no get credit. Give me your name."

The blonde nodded, used to the accent and trained in the short time by Onyx to hold in his laughter. "Link."

"That funny name. Very funny. Ink."

"No, _L_ink. L-i-n-k."

"Whateva, you kids today. No manners," the owner thought aloud, erasing an old name from the chalkboard with some effort. The writing was old enough that the chalk had actually sunk into the board, implanting the small outline of the last record's fisherman.

Narrowing his eyes, the blonde tried to make out the old name. "Sh…Shadow?" Link whispered to himself.

Next to him, Onyx had a faint blush on his cheeks. "The name's stuck with me for while. Longer than you thought probably," the brunette shrugged. "Guess I had forgotten what I put. I used to call myself tons of things, but none of them ever really fit." His gaze dropped to the floor and his expression saddened a bit. "Plus, I had no one to call me a name. Heh, pretty weird, eh?" A chuckle escaped as he tried to lighten up the situation again.

Link patted his shoulder and smiled, causing the ebony haired youth to smile back on reflex. "But now ya got a name, right? Onyx Shadow, and it'll stick with ya."

"Own-ex Shadow? What kind of name is that? That name weirder than Ink, here."

"My name is Link! Link! There's an L!"

"And it's On-ix, not Own-ex! And I like my name! So don't make fun of it!" Onyx nearly growled, lifting his arms up at his sides.

"Whateva. Whateva. You two very weird. You had your fun. Go now! Bother somebody else! Go!" The owner snatched the rods away, swatted the two boys out of the building, and slammed the door behind him.

"Jerk," Onyx muttered as Link and him walked down the side and over to what looked like a small vegetable garden. "I swear, if he didn't run the place, I'd hit that guy square on the hair with a rod," he chuckled, as if picturing the scene. "That'll make 'em go bald for sure."

They went on with detail how the both of them could trick the owner, and soon wondered into a conversation of how they would run the game site. Onyx had reclaimed Link's hand with his own, aimlessly leading the Hylian past a dancing scarecrow, next to a large building, and currently over a rickety bridge. Link held onto the rope offered that held the bridge up, and his companion's arm as they slowly ventured towards a small island in the middle.

"The forest is nice, but dusk is always prettier around water," Onyx murmured dreamily.

"But it definitely is colder around the water," Link said as his teeth chattered. The boys had settled on the shore, huddled together and silently wishing they had kept their caps on. The Hylian, at the moment, was trying to warm his arms up, rubbing them quietly and pulling his knees up to his chest. Yet he stopped suddenly when an arm armed around his shoulders. Startled a bit at first, a smile soon edged onto Link's face as his shivering ceased.

They sat like that for a bit, breathing in deeply the calming, moist air and gazed into the sky that slowly changed its colors. When night had covered the land with shadows, the two remembered how much more comfortable a dry bed was than a damp, sandy shore. Again, the blonde clung to Onyx's sleeve as they crossed the bridge. Once they neared the submerged gate that led to the Lost Woods, Link gripped the brunette's tunic and edged towards the water. However, Onyx hadn't moved. In fact, he stood peering into the water under where they were sitting minutes ago. "Hey…" he whispered as if he didn't want anyone else to hear. "Do ya see that? It's…the temple! It's the temple!" His expression brightened as the ebony haired youth shook Link's shoulder and pointed into the water. Underneath the little island, the bottom of the lake seemed to sink even deeper in one area. Practically invisible was a metal door, while over it was a large diamond. Onyx beamed and walked over to the edge of the shore, leaned onto his knees, and stared over at the temple entrance. "Who would've thought after all this searching, I'd find it when I wasn't even looking for it." He laughed and looked up at Link's puzzled expression. The brunette motioned for the blonde to bend down, and then moved the other's position so that he was staring right at the diamond. "There…ya see? No, to the right of that. Yeah! That's the Water Temple! I've been looking for it for it forever!"

"That's a temple?" Link asked, standing up slowly, yet still keeping eye contact on the diamond and the oversized, metal door. "But it's underwater!"

"Yeah, it's the Water Temple. Zoras built it."

"Don't you mean zolas?"

"…Noooo, what'er you, nuts? They're called Zoras. They're like…like fish people!"

"…Oh…" Link nodded, envisioning something between a Hylian and a shark with a big bass head. "So why were ya looking for that?"

Onyx grinned, and cocked his head, shrugging. "Dunno, just for the excitement, that's all. I've been inside the Forest Temple. It's pretty interestin', but I couldn't get into half of the place. I think I need somethin'."

"Where is it?"

"In the forest!"

Link held himself from smacking Onyx over the head. "No, where is it in the forest?"

"I think the…Sacred Meadow…yeah."

"Oh…never seen it."

Onyx shrugged and turned back to the water. "I dunno how I'm gonna get in there. It's not like I can flood the lake or anything."

A hand landed on his shoulder, causing Onyx to look up. "Don't worry," Link said, with a cocky grin. "We'll think of something. Just promise you won't go without me." The Hylian laughed. "I can't dive as deep as you."

Onyx chuckled with him and nodded. "'Course. Let's make a deal: No matter what, when we finally explore that temple, we'll do it together."

"Deal," the blonde said, shaking his hand with Onyx's so the deal was official. "But let's go home now. I'm sick of this squishy feeling between my toes. And I'm cold."

"Same here. C'mon!" Onyx chirped as he jumped into the water, his arm wrapped around Link's waist.

xXxXx

"I hope nothin' crawled into my boots while we were gone," Link muttered, quietly going through his boots and cap in fear that a small skulltula had sneaked into them without his knowing. Onyx shrugged and dug his head deeper into the pillow, having already taken off most of his clothes and sunk into the comfort of Link's bed.

Earlier, the Hylian was overexcited with the thought of someone spending the night with him. Of course, this would be his first time, so he had no idea what to expect besides someone would be sleeping in the same room with him. A small bit of disappointment hit him when Onyx had gone straight to the bed and only muttered lazy responses into a few conversations through a drowsy atmosphere. The brunette, upon seeing this, had gotten up, walked over to the blonde calmly with the bed blanket still wrapped around his little frame, and tackled him. Thus, a gleeful and meaningless game of wrestling commenced. Once Onyx had let Link pin him after pinning Link several times in a row, they both returned to their prior positions, tired, yet childishly satisfied.

"Onyx?"

"…Yeah?" the ebony haired youth grunted, lifting his head from what would have been a peaceful slumber if left a few seconds more.

"Did ya really mean what ya said? About tomorrow?" Link fiddled with his cap, even though he had thoroughly checked it to the point of turning it inside out and ironing the cap over with his palms.

"Huh?" Onyx yawned. He blinked once, then again, and finally shook his head and nodded. "'Course I did. We're goin' out tomorrow. First through the fields, then to the market, and maybe I can sneak ya into the castle's garden."

Link's face brightened as he suddenly forgot about his cap and rushed to the side of the bed. "You're kidding. A castle? Like the ones for royalty? You've been in one?" he asked, having only heard bits and pieces about kings and princesses over the stories told by the Great Deku Tree, also known as Grandpa Story Tree to the young ones. "How'd ya get in?"

"Kinda easy…The guards ain't too alert anymore. They'll regret it, I tell you. Anywho, get into bed," Onyx said, pulling on the blonde's old, white undershirt and covering Link's body with the wrinkled blanket. "Just remember somethin'."

"Eh?" Link hummed, nuzzling himself into his side of the pillow.

"Stick by me, okay?"

The Hylian smiled warmly and nodded.

"Besides," Onyx continued, "as your guardian, I gotta make sure your safe at all times."

xXxXx

Link, the once lonely and depressed child, woke pleasantly after what was, in his opinion, one of the best sleeps of his life. His eyelids lazily opened, and the Hylian found himself staring into Onyx's neck. Around him were the brunette's arms, and on his head rested the chin of his close companion. Link froze, feeling Onyx's chest against his, slowly moving in a peaceful rhythm.

"Onyx…" he whispered, nudging his head against the other's shoulder. "Onyx, wake up."

"Mmmmmm," the brunette groan and tightened his hold on the Hylian.

"Ug, Onyx!" Link yelped. "Wake up! C'mon!"

"Huh? I'm up…" he swallowed, and slowly opened his eyes halfway, meeting Link's embarrassed gaze. "Oh. Good morning, there! Sleep well?" The blonde motioned he wanted out of the intimate hold and, reluctantly, Onyx let go and rose up onto his elbows.

"Well," Link said, "I did, actually. I slept real well. You?"

"Very. Now," Onyx yawned and stretched out his arms, "let's get ready. It takes awhile on foot and that's really all we have for transportation, so let's hurry."

"What's trens-portation?"

"Oh, transportation? It's -oh, how do I say this? -it's anyway you can travel. Like horses and carts and chariots and anything else used to go from once place to another." Onyx shrugged and lightly pushed at Link to get out of the bed.

As they dressed and pressed down their hair as best they could with their palms, Onyx did his best with explaining what horses and chariots were to Link. He chuckled quietly at the how little the blonde knew from being raised in the secluded woods as a Kokiri. He started repeating that he'd show Link soon enough when the topic got onto cuckoos and coachmen.

Onyx had already started down the ladder of the treehouse while Link was still fitting on his cap, muttering about how it was impossible to tell the difference between a cat and a dog. To him, they simply were both four-legged creatures that were covered in fur. Apparently, there was a difference between them, but Link finally dropped the matter as he flung the curtain away and walked out of his house. He squeezed the railing as he gawked at the scene below. In the short time he was wondering about the furry creatures, Onyx and Mido had collided fists and were currently clashing for each other's head.

"Ony-"

"And that's for when ya pushed me into the stream, ya freak!" yelled the brunette as he completely knocked the wind out of the freckled Kokiri. However, before Mido could hit the ground, a hand wrenched around his collar and pulled him back up. "Don't think faintin' on me is gonna get you out of all the payback I owe ya! Cause that was only for the first set of pranks ya played on me!" Most of the gathering Kokiri were more than enough happy that some excitement had erupted so early in the day, while the others just stood and watched nervously. Some partly wondered how Link had finally got the guts to go against Mido, and some partly wondered why Link dyed his hair black and got a new tunic. Being the childish and less informed race they were, they accepted what they saw without too much thought and went on cheering.

"Okay! Please! Stop it! Please," cried Mido. The boss of the Kokiri had finally lost a fight, and quite badly at that. A few boys broke out of the crowd to help Mido to his feet and get him as far away as possible from 'Link'.

Onyx's expression was much different than Link remembered. Far more frightening and darker. Even from his view crouched between the railings, shivers went down his spine when he saw his companion give a show like that.

"Well?" Onyx yelled, cracking his knuckles and eyeing the crowed. "Anybody else wanna go? If not, ya better keep your damn mouths shut and keep your half-ass comments to yourselves. I'm freaking sick and tired of hearing you call me names, when you stupid and idiotic morons don't even have the guts to come up to me one at a time and say it right to my goddessdamned face!" Link was stunned. Onyx was pretending to be him and setting a whole new reputation right in front of his eyes. He sank down lower, and leaned back. If this act was going to work, being seen from the railing would ruin it all, whether or not this show was the right thing to do or not. Although, even Link winced every time the brunette cursed, as did all the Kokiri children. He silently wished that Onyx would tone that down a bit, but stayed quiet and watched. To be honest, he and the other Kokiri had no idea what a lot of the words meant. They only knew that the words, especially with the way Onyx used them, were bad and not to be spoken lightly.

In only a few short minutes of aftershock, the green clad kids ran in all different directions to hide or carry on with errands that all curiously were taken place far away from wherever Onyx was. If he was trying to scare the Kokiri, which he whole-heartedly was trying to do, he accomplished his task and proudly walked down the dirt path to a large, hollow tree. The boy who usually stood guard was now helping Mido patch up a nasty cut on his knee, thus, enabling Onyx to walk through without any interruption.

Without another though, Link jumped from the back of his house, bracing himself and mentally yelling when a shock went through his knees. A moment later, he was trudging behind the small houses. Onyx was out of sight, much to Link's displeasure, so all that he could do was make a final dash the rest of the way and, not for the first time, leave the woods and the Kokiri behind.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?"

"Would you rather that I had just yelled at him?" Onyx asked with his hands behind his head as they both walked across the bridge and out of the forest entirely. "He deserved what he got, you know that better than I do."

Link faintly nodded. A few steps further and he lifted his arms to block the sun pouring in from all directions. "Ug, it's bright!"

"'Course it is. Not enough trees in the field to block the light like in the woods," Onyx chuckled. "Link, let me show ya what you've been missing." He made for Link's hand, but only caught air.

The Hylian had backed away a few steps and was staring at Onyx worriedly. "Before," he said, "you were different. I've never seen you like that."

The brunette sighed and walked over to the reluctant blonde. "Link, listen to me," Onyx said calmly. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Link's shoulders and pulled him in warmly. "When I see you get hurt, or when I see others trying to hurt you, something inside of me just…goes off. Snaps." Hesitantly, a pair of arms made their way around Onyx's stomach, and clamped together tightly.

"Control it more, alright? You scared me," Link uttered through the fabric of Onyx's dark tunic. The brunette smiled and patted the other's back gently. They stood like that for a moment, enjoying each other's company.

Finally, they leaned apart and started walking into the field. "You wouldn't happen to have any other sides that I should know about, do ya?" Link asked, eyeing a bee overcoming a small flower. "Just incase?"

Onyx laughed and shook his head. "Not that I know of at the moment. But I'll warn ya if I feel somethin' about to sprout up. Okay?"

"Okay, thanks," Link said, relieved and willing to let the brunette get a hold of his hand. "Is there anything dangerous in the fields?"

"Why, ya scared?" Onyx teased, narrowing his eyes and smirking as he tugged Link into the open.

"No. Just want to be prepared, that's all." The Hylian gazed around him with a mix between awe and curiosity. He only gave a glance at Onyx, taking in how familiar the other boy seemed to be with these surroundings. With that, the blonde moved closer to the ebony haired youth and moved his hold to the other's upper arm securely. "Onyx?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you show me what a horse is?" Link said, looking up into the other's eyes hopefully.

Onyx's grin seemed to have reflected off of his fiery eyes as he lifted his free arm up and squeezed Link's knuckle affectionately. "I'll show ya more than that. I haven't even told you about cows yet. Those are weird looking things, I tell ya!" The brunette went on about the different wonders of the outside world, from colorful masks to merchants who would sell anything at the right price. The Hylian nodded from time to time, let his eyes wander while the other was talking, and questioned whether the Royal Guards were blind or not. Onyx shook his head. "Naw, they just ain't very aware. It's almost no fun anymore to try and sneak by 'em," he said, looking around as they passed a stream. "That there leads to where the Zora's live. Keep that in mind. And look-" he yelled, pointing up at a large mountain that covered much of the northeast of Hyrule. "-that's a volcano. I think it's called Dead Mountain, no…death. Yeah, Death Mountain. I hear there's a dragon up there!"

"A dragon!" Link exclaimed, jumping back and staring up at the mountain in awe. "A real one?"

Onyx shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, pretty sure. But he ain't too friendly. In fact, he's locked up cause of that. Terrorizin' and eating people and stuff…" he said, drifting off and tapping his heel on the ground.

"Onyx?" the blonde asked, poking the other on the shoulder. "How do you know so much about this stuff?"

Immediately, Onyx blushed, started fake laughing and rubbed the back of his head. "Who, me?" he asked for no apparent reason. "I just…er…you know, I know some people who know some people who know…stuff." He grinned and walked on a little faster. "That's all! Really!"

Link raised an eyebrow and followed after him. "Alright…whatever you say."

They stayed a small distance from each other as they trudged up the dirt road. Onyx stretched his fingers around at his side, silently wishing that Link's fingers were clamped between them. He sighed and looked off to the side. "Hey…" he muttered, catching the blonde's attention. "Link! Look! There!" He shouted and grabbed Link's wrist, pulling the other into a run. Ahead of them was a large carriage, surrounded by well armored men on horses. It was beautifully designed, red with gold edges that shimmered in the day's sun. Onyx stopped, keeping a good distance between themselves and the party. The Hylian pounded into the brunette's back, having lost his balance and tripped over the uneven ground. "That! There, see it? The big thing pulling the carriage and the things the knights are riding!" The ebony haired youth grinned, shoving Link in front of him, and pointed at the royal party. "Those are horses!"

Link's eyes widened as his expression changed completely. "They're…they're huge!"

"In order to handle all those jobs, they gotta be. Never go near one though when it's mad. Really stupid thing to do."

Link smirked and raised an eyebrow again. "Let me guess, you went near one."

"Ha," Onyx said cheerfully. "Curiosity killed the cat, but let me off with just a bruising." He chuckled until he saw the complete confusion stretched over Link's features. "It's a saying. Cats are curious so they go off and…oh nevermind. Forget it."

Link shrugged, watching the horses proudly walk trot down the road. "Wow…" he said, "Wonder if there are any miniature horses. Ya know, for Kokiri."

Onyx gave him an odd look. "What are ya talking about? In a couple of years you'll be big enough for a horse. Maybe not those, but a pony at least," he said, putting a hand on his hip. "Kokiri are too scared of dogs, let alone horses."

"Hey," Link yelled, giving Onyx a small shove. "Don't make fun of me like that just cause you've seen more of the world than I have."

Onyx blinked.

"What about all that stuff about you can't take when others make fun of me? While you're doing it now!"

The other boy cocked his head. "Hmm?" A moment passed of Link looking rather upset, while the brunette just stared, puzzled. It finally hit him when the blonde was about to walk away. "Oh! No, no! Wait! No, that's not what I meant! You're not a Ko-darn it…Link, what I meant was…" Onyx trailed off, rushing after Link and catching his wrist. "Here, listen to me. What I meant was that I consider you to be so different from _those_ Kokiri, that I consider you a…um…completely different…I didn't mean you! That's all. I meant them, not you. You're different. You see?" The boy held on to Link's wrist desperately, biting his lip in fear he might let another important detail slip out.

Luckily, Link sighed, accepting the apology and giving Onyx's hand a squeeze. "Alright, fine," he said, turning to get a last look at the carriage. "Hey, that symbol!" He pointed to the back at three bright gold, reflective, triangular plates. "That symbol is in the forest!"

"Oh, that's the Tri-eh!-I mean. Yeah, I think it's just to tell people they're royals. Nothin' else." The brunette chuckled again, and Link just let it pass. "Anywho, let's hurry already! It's almost noon and you've barely seen…" Onyx's voice grew to a whisper as he suddenly froze.

"Onyx?" the blonde asked, tugging on his companion's tunic. "Onyx, what's wrong? What is it?" Link felt a shiver run through the other's body and tightened his hold on the tunic, giving it a tough yank. "Onyx! C'mon! Wake up and talk to me!" he cried desperately.

"Link, hurry!" Onyx shouted, giving the Hylian no time to realize what was going on before the brunette had taken hold of his arm and was already dashing through the field. He ran up to a bush and shot down behind it, dragging Link with him. "Do you see that man?"

"What?"

"There! Look, the one on the black horse! This is important, Link. Do you see him or not?" Onyx hissed, narrowing his eyes and glaring towards the company of horsemen.

"I do! Sheesh, I see him! Onyx, tell me what's going on!"

"Stay away from him. If you see that man, run. I don't care what you're doing, you run. You promise me that, Link."

"What? Why?"

"Promise me!" Onyx whispered roughly, grabbing Link's shoulders and forcing the blonde to look into his eyes.

"Okay, I promise. I swear. Just please, what's going on? You're scaring me!" Link cried, getting a 'shhh' from the brunette. "Onyx…" The Hylian's ears drooped as his hand clung onto Onyx's tunic.

The brunette's expression softened. "I'm sorry. I just…I didn't expect to see him here so soon. Link, I can't tell you anything now. No, I'm sorry, but I can't. You'll learn about him soon enough," he said, taking Link into his arms. "I'm sorry I spoke like that. I didn't mean to scare you."

Link stayed quiet and pushed away, nodding his head. The pair watched as the carriage, the horsemen, and the man in black armor went through the gates. A minute passed until Onyx gently took Link's hand and stood up.

"Maybe it's better if I show you the village first. This way," he said, lightly tugging for Link to follow.

* * *

**A/N: **

Another chapter done, so off you go to the next one!

Little kids are so stupid that it's cute. :D


	4. Unique People

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_, otherwise, I would have made it sure that a certain shadow we all know would have greater parts…

**Rated:** PG for angst, small language, and whatever my mind thinks of…

**Pairing: **Only Shounen ai for now. Dark Link/Link. Pending whether or not something will happen in later chapters.

* * *

_**Chapter Four: **Unique People_

"That was cheap!" Onyx yelped, jumping back from a swinging stick. Another _woosh_ narrowly missed his head, but caught on some ebony locks. Link proudly stood in his newly learned fighter stance, smirking at Onyx while the darker youth picked small pieces of twigs out of his hair. "Well, then. Guess I've underestimated ya, Link."

"It's not my fault if you lose your hair! Remember that!" Link shouted. He jumped, bringing the stick down with childish strength. Meanwhile, Onyx back-flipped, missing the small blow, and came back with a jump kick similar to the attack Link had just stuck.

It hit.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Oooonyx! Why'd ya hit so hard?" the blonde whined, crouching down while rubbing his head and peeking up at the brunette through one eye. "This is suppose to be pretend!"

Onyx grinned in a way that you'd think he'd solved the land's greatest puzzle. "If it weren't pretend, you'd be hurting more than just on your head!" he teased, offered a hand to Link. The Hylian took it and soon the both of them were at it again.

The event from the field was either forgotten or chose as an avoidable topic, for the boys had took on more playful dispositions as they made their way into Kakariko Village. Link, never seeing so many people in one place before, was overwhelmed to the point that Onyx had brought his friend to the less crowded graveyard. Here, they settled for a small game of 'good guys and bad guys'. Neither knew who was good or bad because no sooner had that started and completely drop every rule.

"Watch it!" the blonde yelped as he blocked a stick that nearly swiped at his forehead.

"You're faster than this, Link."

"I think you're starting to have too much confidence in me. Ack! That was too close!"

"You're slowing down again," said Onyx. Another swing and Link had fallen back, tripping over his own boots and landed flat on the ground. He shook his head and propped his body up on his elbows. A stick end nudged itself on the blonde's neck. "Say uncle!"

"Huh?"

Onyx sighed. "Say you surrender."

"Oh…no! Never!" Link smirked and kicked out a leg, hoping to trip the brunette. Unfortunately, Onyx fell forward, on top on Link. The ebony haired youth planted himself on the blonde's chest and pinned the other's shoulders to the ground.

"Say you surrender or else you will never walk the lands again!" Onyx's evil smirk suddenly turned into a sheepish grin. "Cause I won't get up and you'll be stuck here under my weight and the mud'll get really uncomfortable and that will just stink." He stuck his tongue out playfully.

"Alright, I surrender," Link chuckled. "What'er your demands?"

Onyx made a confused face. "Demands?"

"Well," Link said, "You won the duel. Doesn't the winner always get a prize or somethin'?"

Thinking it over, Onyx looked around. The grave-keeper had gone into his shack, and the strange kid that was prancing around pretending to be the grave-keeper had gone home; they were alone. "Alright," Onyx said. "My demand…My demand is for you to be quiet. For just a minute at most, and stay still. Okay?"

Link nodded.

"Stay still, or else you break the demand and I get another one."

Link nodded hesitantly.

Then, smiling, Onyx leaned down and kissed Link on the lips. Whether he remembered to stay still or not, it didn't matter, for Link had froze. The shock that Onyx, a male that looked so similar to himself, was kissing him, on the lips, was starting to die down. The Hylian slowly closed his eyes and pushed back.

Now, being children, this was the most romantic and adult thing that had ever happened in their innocent lives. No tongue, touching, or moans, for child innocence doesn't allow such things. With the awareness that someone dear to you is sharing that small intimate touch, that was all that mattered.

The kiss left Link lightheaded. He opened his eyes finally to realize Onyx was hugging him warmly and nuzzling his head into the crook of the Hylian's neck. Link found himself burying his body, as tightly as he could, into the brunette's chest. He breathed out a sigh that he felt he had been holding most of his life. That was it. Moments ago, the last bit of loneliness Link held was gone. He blushed and slowly opened his eyes, breathing in the sweaty, pine smell of Onyx's tunic. He loved it. He loved it because he now knew that scent and felt comfortable with it. Small thoughts swept through his mind about the future, about the one that was holding him, about how plain amazing it felt, and they suddenly meant so much more. A poke on the cheek woke him up from his thoughts.

"You look like a lovesick puppy," said Onyx, smiling down. "You surprised?"

Link slowly nodded. "Yes…I was."

"Are you upset?"

"No...not at all really," Link grinned up at his companion. "Will it work out, though? I've never heard of two boys together. Isn't it against the rules?"

The brunette grinned and stood up, pulling the Hylian with him. "If it is, then I guess we're troublemakers from here on," he said. They gazed at each other for a moment more, their hands carelessly laced with one another.

"Onyx?" Link asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No prob," the brunette chuckled, tugging on one of Link's hands and leading him out of the graveyard. "Now, with that settled, it's time to teach you how to play 'hit and run'."

"How do you play that?" the Hylian asked.

Onyx winked and led him to a cuckoo pen in the corner of the village.

xXxXx

Link held a cloth to his cheek and wiped away some dirt and tears from his face. He turned his head to look at his companion, sitting with him on a crate in an abandoned warehouse. Onyx smiled. "It could've been worse. At least we still have our noses and fingers," he laughed weakly, holding his arm.

The Hylian rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, now. Least I got us out of there, right? Alls we hafta do now is lay low for a little while. I'm sure by then, the lady'll have them all in the pen and it'll be safe."

The blonde nodded and lifted the cloth up. It was dusty, and probably not his first choice to use to cover his cut up, but it was all they could find at the moment. He sighed and placed it back on his cheek. It was a small cut, but it stung nonetheless. In the back of his mind, Link realized he got it better than Onyx. The brunette had tripped while they were running away from the rabid-like birds, and must've landed on something hard. _I dunno if I like cuckoos anymore…They're scary,_ he thought. A small grunt caught his attention. Looking up, Link saw his friend rubbing his arm more firmly, wincing a bit as it made contact with the bruised skin barely covered by the tunic sleeve. "Onyx," he said.

"Hm?"

"Hold still, k?"

The brunette nodded as Link took the cloth he was using for his cut, folded it up into a strap, and tied it gently around the other's arm. Once he double-knotted, he smiled and looked up. Onyx leaned in and nuzzled his nose against Link's. "Thanks. It's feelin' better already." He gave his familiar grin and hopped off the crate, lacing his fingers into Link's and pulling the Hylian with him. "Let's explore! Maybe there's somethin' interesting in here, just waiting to be found!"

Link laughed and gave a squeeze of his hand as the brunette tugged on for them to go.

The warehouse certainly seemed barren, judging from the thick layer of dust that rested on everything. Once or twice, Link jumped and huddled into Onyx, saying that something was in the room. Strangely, the stillness in the air went against his theory and they continued to roam on.

"I think the cuckoos are gone now," the blonde squeaked, clinging to the brunette's sleeve. Apparently he had never heard the saying, 'What you can't see, can't hurt you.' or he simply didn't believe it.

"Would'ja look at this?" Onyx gasped. He had pushed open one of the crates and pulled out a strange looking gadget.

"Onyx, please. I think something's watching us…"

"I've seen this before. No, wait, it was different. And this, wow, this is a downgrade. Hah, look!" he mused cheerfully, aiming the tool up and eyeing it with satisfaction. "It's short, probably…let's say…15 feet…yeah. Wow, though. Didn't know they made 'em any other length…or with this metal." He tested his grip. "Bit weak."

"Onyx!"

"Hello?" The brunette let his arm and the object hang at his side now that his attention had turned.

"Can we please leave? Now? I have this feeling, there's something else in the room and-WHAT'ER YOU, NUTS? DON'T POINT THAT AT ME!"

Onyx laughed and aimed the tool away from Link. "Just kiddin', I'd never hit you. These things hurt. Trust me. The lil' devils shoot out sometimes when you want 'em to stay contracted."

The Hylian rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Let's just leave, and-Onyx don't." The brunette chuckled. "Seriously, that thing looks like it would hurt. Let's go before-"

"Hello children."

"AH!" both Onyx and Link yelped, jumping back and tripping over their feet.

"Do not be afraid," a voice said that most likely belonged to the large, dangling, spider-like being that had scurried down the side of the wall. "I am not a monster. I only ask for your help." It looked like a spider that had a human face smashed in the front and human arms carelessly sewed on the sides to look normal. Sadly, this only made the being look more freakish.

While Onyx was still giving the creature an unsure glare, Link spoke up, "What do you mean? What happened to you? You're…You're like a-"

"A Skulltula? Yes, that is what the curse is. Would you be so kind to help my family and I in our time of need?"

"There are more of you?" asked Onyx, getting up and stepping towards the bewitched person.

"Yes. My entire family was cursed for our greed. Once upon a time, we were Hylians like you."

"Wait, I'm not a Hylian. I'm a Koki-"

"Shh!" Onyx hushed Link. "Go on…er…Miss?"

"Misses if you don't mind. I was married, but now I am a widow due to that horrid war."

Onyx began to chuckle. "Widow spider. A black widow, heh-oof!" He rubbed his arm, thankful that Link hit the one that wasn't wounded earlier that day.

"As I was saying: We await a noble hearted hero to destroy all the gold skullatulas that roam the land and return us back to normal," she said.

"So I assume…you're asking us?" Link said.

The creature licked her lips before speaking, and moved a bit to get a firmer grip on the wall with her many different legs. "Indeed. Would you accept such a quest?"

Link bit his lip and Onyx simply looked bored. His gaze wandered around the room, stopping at the door. A shadow was approaching it.

"Of course you will be dearly awarded. That I can promise. Just come closer so I can tell you more."

Link was about to step forward before the door slammed open.

"Wha the bloody 'ell is goin' on in 'ere? Who's goin' through me secret stash?" yelled a man who looked like he could be the runt son of a very disfigured troll. "You, 'ids. C'mere now! And you, ye damned witch, off wit ya!"

The cursed woman made a small hiss and scampered up the wall, disappearing into a corner. Meanwhile, the boys had frozen where they stood, Onyx dropping the strange object and pushing Link behind him. The disgruntled man limped over and picked it up, pointing it straight at the brunette's head.

"You. You be the one goin' through me stash. Wha else did'ja take, thief?"

Onyx growled. "I'm no thief, you cad! It's your own fault you left all your things just lying around like that like some idiot!"

"Boy," the man said. "I'm not the man ye should mess wit."

This only made the ebony haired boy more determined for an upper edge. "Yeah, well, with a face like that, even the Lord of Darkness would be scared of ya. So just quit yellin' and-Ack!" Onyx cried, his injured arm tight in the man's grip and being twisted around behind his back.

"Ye need to be taught some manners, boy," he said, pushing Onyx's arm closer into the small of the boy's back. "And me tinks I 'ave to be the one to show ya."

The brunette let a groan out from the pressure.

"Wait, please!" Link yelped, finally jumping in and reaching his hands out in protest. "We didn't mean it. All that happened was that we came in here to rest and look around. We didn't know this belonged to anybody, I swear. Please, put 'em down!"

The man thought this over as was Onyx squirming beneath him to try and free his battered arm. "Alright, then. Be off, now, and dun come back to this place. Understood?"

Link nodded, and caught Onyx as he was let go.

"Take dat brat wit ya now, too."

"Who'er you calling a brat, you big piece of-mmph!" The boy's voice became muffled as Link's hand covered his mouth. The Hylian pulled on Onyx's body, and gave a weak smile at the man as they clumsily trudged out.

"Sorry, sir. Won't happen again. Thank you! Um, Bye!" he said as he shoved Onyx out of the building and was closing the door.

"Damned kids takin' me things. Gotta hide it in a better place now. The graves'll do," muttered the man before the door closed out his voice.

"I could've taken him, Link," Onyx pouted, cross-armed.

Link sighed and pulled on the brunette's tunic to simply get away. "Fine, but you didn't _have_ to take him."

The ebony haired boy huffed and subconsciously cupped the Hylian's hand with his. "I didn't want that thing anyway. Mine's much better," he smirked.

The blonde smiled faintly and leaned into the other. "What was it?"

"Nothing."

Link frowned and pushed into Onyx as they walked. "Tell me. What was that thing…" His thoughts wandered. "…And that…spider thing! Who can curse like that? Is it really possible? And that guy! Do you think he was cursed?"

Onyx had already leaned back into balance and was listening to Link ask similar questions. _It's possible all right thanks to him, but if you got only a small curse like that, you'd be considered lucky,_ he thought. "Link?"

The Hylian stopped his babbling and looked over to his companion, absentmindedly eyeing the passing, and momentarily calm, cuckoos.

"Tell me; do you remember what I told you this morning?" The ebony haired youth stopped, yet still held on to the other's hand securely.

"You mean about how you snap when anyone's mean to me and you go all dark and scary?"

"No," Onyx smiled and shook his head. "That wasn't it."

"When you said I wasn't part of _the_ Kokiri, and that I'm just a different and completely better off _separate_ Kokiri?" Link titled his head and swung his arm from side to side.

Again, Onyx shook his head 'no'. "Link, the man in the black armor. Remember now?"

"Oh, yeah! That-eh…yeah, I remember him."

"Repeat what I said," the brunette said firmly.

"If I see him, I need to run, run, run, and when I'm done running, run some more. Just make sure the direction I'm running is away from him. Why?" Link repeated in a monotone voice.

Onyx made a faint smile, but it saddened more than it cheered the blonde. "I'm just making sure you were listening." He shrugged, and tugged on the Hylian's hand as they continued across town in the afternoon sun. The sad smile stayed on his face until Link leaned up, and kissed the brunette's cheek.

"Dummy, I don't tune you out all the time," Link smiled. "I'll stay away from him, I promise."

xXxXx

"Hello?"

_"Yes child, I'm here."_

"While he's shooting at the archery, I have somethin' urgent to tell ya!"

_"What is troubling you, son?"_

"He's here. The man, he arrived today with the Royals."

_"I feared for this. Thank you, for telling me. I will warn the others that the time is very near."_

"…M'lady?"

_"Now, dear, you know I detest when you call me that."_

"I'm sorry…but do you think it will come true?"

_"Are you scared, child?"_

"For him, I am."

_"Dear Onyx Shadow, you are his guardian now. You even chose this on your own accord."_

"…What if he dies?"

_"What if he triumphs?"_

"…I can't leave him now. Not now. Not while _he's_ back. I need to stay, to protect Link. Please, let me stay."

_"I cannot stop a guardian from doing what they're assigned to do. You will stay here with your new name and position. I cannot be sure what your destiny is, child, remember that. Whatever you do may be critical to the upcoming events. Be wise. I know you've been brought up better than a cowardly fly of a pig."_

"Thank you. Here he comes. Wish me luck!"

_"Choose well, son. May my fires protect you."_

"Oh, and say hi to aunties for me!"

_"Heh, of course, dear."_

xXxXx

"Hey," Link whispered, poking Onyx in the shoulder. "You okay? Wake up, c'mon now!"

The brunette mumbled, his eyes slightly opened, and his body swaying a bit where it stood. Link took the other by his shoulders and shook. "Hmm? Oh, hey! Okay, I'm up!" He blinked again, relieving his eyes of the glazed, glassy look they held earlier.

The blonde gave him a puzzled expression and didn't back off. "Do ya need to sit down? Are you sick?"

Onyx shook his head and looked up. "You know…" he muttered, leaning in and staring into Link's eyes with a serious expression. "You're awful cute when ya worry like that!"

No sooner had Onyx finished his outburst, Link shoved him back into a fence, breaking into a pen. "Really, though. I worry and ya go off and make a comment like-"

"LINK!"

"Hmm?…Oh, no…" the Hylian muttered before Onyx grabbed his hand and made off on a run down the streets of Kakariko Village.

"Hurry and run, they're gaining!"

The cuckoo fence had broken, and it was every man for himself.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hey, hey, hey! Can you fellas name the characters in there? Although, to anyone who hasn't played Ocarina of Time (WTF! IMPOSSIBLE!) the spider lady and the…ugly dude are both characters (funs ones at that) in Kakariko Village.

**Review. Now.**


	5. Would You Wait?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_, otherwise, I would have made it sure that a certain shadow we all know would have greater parts…AND ACTUAL LINES!

**Rated:** PG-13 now folks! Things gonna get funky!

**Pairing: **Shounan ai is for kids!...so let's see what happens to Dark Link and Link sevens years later! (muahaha!)

My gosh….please accept my undying apologies for taking waaaay too long with such a simple thing as granting your dimming wishes with a new chapter! So sorry! So very sorry! I hope this chapter makes up for it!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Chapter Five: **Would You Wait?_

"I counted six. You sure you saw nine?"

"Well…a few flew off, so now I don't really know."

"Here, caught one! Take a look."

"Ok, let me-ECK! Onyx, you killed it!"

"Oops," said the ebony haired boy as he held out his dirty hands. "Only an accident…Link, c'mon, I didn't try to kill it." The Hylian poked at one of the disembodied limps of what was a beautifully glowing firefly.

"It's dead."

"Oh really? I thought I saw a leg twitching."

"Onyx!"

"Fine," Onyx said, rubbing his hands in the grass and looking up at Link's horrified expression. "Let's pretend he was a bad guy. A bad firefly. He was bad and terrorized the other fireflies by burning their villages."

"Burning their villages?"

"Well, they're fireflies so…oh work with me!" he sighed, ignoring Link's raised eyebrow. "Let's say he was the evil firefly. Corrupted by power and greed. For many years, he's been terrorizing the…the…the FireFlians-"

"You've got to be kidding. They don't even live that long."

"How do you know that for sure?"

"Well…" Link muttered as he played with a dew-covered blade of grass. "I had one as a pet once."

It was Onyx's turn to raise his eyebrow. "Ya kept a firefly as a pet?"

"I was lonely, okay! You know that!" Link yelped, glaring defensively at his smirking companion.

However, Onyx only chuckled and pulled Link over to sit in between his legs. "But now I'm here, right? No more insects for friends anymore. Ya got me, and that should be enough to handle." He smiled at feeling Link chuckle under his chin.

A thick sheet of night ran over the sky, inviting all nocturnal creatures to wake up and begin their cycles. The couple had planted themselves down in the grass outside of the Kokiri Village. Link was becoming uneasy as they walked closer to the forest. Surely the Kokiri inside would act differently upon seeing him after the episode Onyx so admirably dished out. The brunette saw this and gladly pointed out that sundown didn't have to mean it was time for sleep.

The boys found themselves staring up at the sky from their comfy beds in the grass, counting the stars until they ran out of numbers and had to start making up ones. When the numbers got too ridiculous at 'seven-nillionty and twelve', the two settled for counting the small amount of fireflies floating above their heads.

Link breathed in the night air, and let out a relaxed sigh. It's true to the point of saying Link had no idea how to be in a relationship. The latest part he had discovered was that trust was a large factor, and letting the other do what he wanted plainly showed how big of a factor that was. Onyx hadn't seemed to push him yet, and he rarely was uncomfortable. Even at that moment, in between the brunette's legs, huddled against his chest, with the other's arms wrapped around Link's shoulders, it felt like heaven. Simple, short and sweet heaven.

A yawn came out behind Link, brushing past his hair, and giving his ear a small tickling sensation from the warm breath. "Aaa-oh boy, you getting tired?" Onyx asked, squeeze his grip around Link as if to see if the blonde was awake.

"A little," the Hylian muttered, realizing the _ba-bump _of Onyx's heartbeat was causing his eyes to shut. Link almost yawned until a peck on the cheek drew his attention to a small smile above him. "Onyx?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened to the fireflies?"

Onyx chuckled and moved a bit to get comfortable. "Well, you see, when all the FireFlians lost hope, a hero firefly came to their rescue. He fought all the fireflies that had-"

"How'd he fight them?"

This stumped Onyx. "Well…er…with his mighty…fire! Yes, with his fire, the hero firefly fought all the fireflies that had allied with the evil fireflies. You see, Link, the hero firefly never knew he was going to become the hero of the fireflies."

"Really?"

"Really, now stop interrupting," Onyx said, gently punching Link's side when the Hylian stuck his tongue out at him. "He completed different…quest…things. Soon, he fought his way up and went face to face with the evil firefly."

"And won, right?"

"Are you gonna tell the story?"

"No, but it's kinda obvious."

Onyx grinned and leaned back, pulling Link up to his side and looking back up at the stars. "Well, that's how it's supposed to go. Unless you'd rather have the bad guy win and the land turn some gray color, of course with all the dead crawly thingies. It's really boring…"

A cricket began chirping in the background, and was later echoed by another in the grass. Link sighed, "Onyx?"

"Yeah?"

"You're stories are weird."

The brunette huffed and nudged Link in the shoulder. "I think it's time for you to go to sleep."

"But-"

"Now," Onyx commanded, taking the Hylian's arm and pulling him up. The blonde grunted and obeyed, allowing the darker boy to take his hand and lead him into the woods. "It's all clear. Those lil' brats are probably asleep, so they won't notice us," he smiled while swinging his and Link's hand back and forth.

Once in the warmth of the small house, Onyx kicked off his boots and tossed his hat away on the ground. Link, however, stayed in the doorway and eyed the floor with a dull expression. "Hey," the Hylian looked up to his companion who was, at the moment, trying to find the best position to fall asleep in. "Don't go to sleep yet. I…I need to ask you something."

The dark haired boy looked up, his hair starting to get in a mess, and lazily swung his legs over the side of the bed and patted the space beside him. "Alright then," he said as Link sat down beside him. "Shoot."

"We're kids…right?"

"I guess. The age seems appropriate, so I guess that's what we're considered," he smiled as Link nodded and looked to the floor again.

"Well, we're normal, right?"

Onyx frowned. "What are you thinking? There's not really a normal, Link. But we're not strange if that's what you're worried ab-"

"We're boys!" Link cried, shooting up at Onyx with a face covered in distress. "It's not normal! What if someone finds out! I've never heard of it before, so obviously there's something wrong with it!"

"Link! Relax! Why are you so worked up about it all of a sudden?" the brunette yelled, taking the Hylian by the arms.

"Because! I've had time to think about you!" Onyx, taking this as sweet, almost smiled before, "You're not normal!" Link jumped off the bed, on the brink of tears. "How do I know what you've been telling me is all true? I shouldn't be seeing the things you try to show me! I shouldn't be listening to most of the things you say! I shouldn't be…be _doing_ stuff with another boy! I shouldn't really hang around you at all!"

Onyx tried to hold back a snarl. "What exactly do you mean by 'doing stuff'? I haven't done anything that could possibly make your life any more miserable than it was before I came!"

"But I was closer to normal before! Boys don't hold hands! They can be friends, but kissing? I mean, do you even know what the others would say if they found out?"

"Others!" Onyx hissed, jumping up and shoving the Hylian back. "You're worried about what those Kokiri think of you! Link, get it through your thick skull! Most of them wouldn't care if you fell in a hole and broke your leg! They aren't your friends and they don't give a damn about you or your feelings!"

Link stepped back, pulling away from the other's grasp and holding his arms. He shook his head, trying to take extreme interest in the floor and away from his companion's glare. "…But…it's wrong…" the blonde managed to choke.

Seconds passed between them of silence that seemed to be suffocating the air around them. A small sob reached the brunette's pointed ears. He looked up to see the little Hylian holding his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. It was then all the anger had completely vanished in him as Onyx walked over and wrapped his arms around the other's body.

"Link…Link, don't cry okay? Don't be sad. I didn't mean it. I was just mad. Normal doesn't have to be a good thing, right?"

Another sob emitted through Onyx's tunic.

"Link, it's okay. Relax, don't cry," cooed the brunette while rubbing the Hylian's back. "No one hates you. And if they do, then they're a lost cause. They…eh…They just don't understand yo-"

"Don't feed me that, Onyx. I've heard it enough from Saria," Link grunted, leaning back and rubbing his eyes to rib of any tears. He swallowed and hugged his arms again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to explode at you…"

"Yes you did." Link looked up, startled.

"What?"

"And I'm not mad about it. I got mad that you've taken to heart what the others say about you. I know we only kinda just met-"

"No kidding…"

"And," Onyx continued. "I understand now how much 'normal' means to you. I just don't understand why. Listen, we've got to work this out or else it's going to stink working as your guardian if we're going to argue about this."

"Then what do you suggest?" the blonde asked, still not entirely convinced of a true partnership.

Onyx sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. "I'll stay out of site. Completely. You'll pretty much be the only one who knows about me around here. On top of that, if no one knows about me, then _we'll_ be fine."

"No more jumping out and cursing at everyone?"

"No more."

"And what about a lot of the things you say? It's hard to believe what you say sometimes."

"You mean blabbering? I'll quit that too. Anything. Now are we better?"

Link stared into the other's eyes and suddenly felt a pang of guilt rush through him. "And what about me?"

"What about you?" Onyx asked, a little annoyed that so many things had piled up between them without his awareness.

"Is there anything you want me to change? If you're really going to do all those things, there must be something you want."

Finally, the brunette's mouth twitched into a small smile. "Naw, you're perfect the way you are. If you could just tell me these things a little earlier on so I know if I'm bothering you, then we wouldn't have outbursts like this."

The guilt only grew. In the back of his mind, he silently hated the way Onyx could speak so adult-like and calm when things seemed to be breaking apart. He hugged his arms tighter and turned his attention back to the floor. Onyx shifted where he stood, equally uncomfortable, but then laughed. Link looked up, shocked to find the ebony youth holding his gut. He kneeled to the floor, clutching his stomach while the laughter didn't seem to stop.

The Hylian's eyebrows furrowed as he kneeled down next to Onyx and grabbed the boy's shoulders. "Onyx? Onyx, what's wrong? Why are you laughing?" Suddenly, the blonde was pulled into a strong embrace. He felt Onyx's warm breath still chuckling in his ear.

Then the brunette pulled away, quickly giving Link's cheek a peck and retaining his familiar grin. "Amazing, ain't it?" Onyx asked. "In less than a day we're already acting like a married couple." The laughing started up again as Link smiled. He started laughing with Onyx, not entirely understanding the joke, but filled with such relief that he felt a bit light-headed.

As long as no one saw, he felt fine with Onyx. He was fine with the little kisses, the hugs, and holding hands. As long as Onyx was okay with it, nothing could go wrong.

xXxXx

He felt cold, but he didn't want to wake up. A shiver ran through Link's body, but the comfort of covers kept him from opening his eyes. He grumbled and turned in his sleepy daze, but that only faced him with the bright light of the morning sun. "Ug…" he moaned and sat up lazily. The Hylian felt beside him subconsciously, but then leaned back down. He shifted a bit, and sat up again. "…Hmm?" Onyx was gone. He gazed around the small room, slowly becoming more aware of how alone he was. His brow furrowed and he shot out of bed. Swiping on his boots, the Hylian ripped the curtain open to find-"Onyx?" Link breathed, annoyed that his sudden concern was for nothing. He had been paranoid throughout the night about their conversation and tense whenever he woke up and the brunette's arms weren't around his waist the way Onyx used to do before Link's outburst. Even if the boy rolled over in his sleep, away from the blonde, Link would awaken fearful that Onyx was upset at him.

The Hylian tugged on the brunette's sleeve, whispering his name. Onyx was standing near the railing, his eyelids half closed and his body relaxed. Faintly, the blonde recalled he did this outside the Shooting Gallery, but dismissed the image as he moved in front of the other boy and took him by the shoulders. "Onyx? Are you asleep?" he asked.

Onyx muttered something and blinked. "Hmm…?" he hummed, looking up after a few more blinks and seeing Link's worried expression. He immediately smiled. "Hello!"

Letting out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, Link smiled back. "Onyx? You okay?"

Onyx nodded. "I guess I just dozed off, eh? Hah, funny how those kinds of things can happen." The brunette rubbed the back of his head and chuckled.

"Onyx…" Link muttered, turning his gaze to the wooden floor. "I'm really sorry for yesterday. I…I had no right. I guess I thought about all the bad things that could happen and I never once consider that…um…"

" It could be fun?" Onyx smiled. "No worries, it's all good now, Link." He waved if hand as if swatting the problem away and took Link's hand in his own, tugging the couple back into the tree house. "Better get going then. It's a bit late, so we'll have to sneak out separately." The Hylian grinned back, relief rushing over his body. He had silently prayed all night that things would go back to normal, so this was a definite step.

Onyx put his boots on while Link tried to tame his messy hair. He settled for flattening it with his palms and then fitted his cap on, turning this way and that to make sure it wouldn't fall off. "What do you want to do today?" Link asked, flicking a few strands from his eyes.

"Well, why don't we…I dunno, explore?" Onyx said while finishing the buckle on his boot. "I heard rumor that there's a shop opening up in the market. A mask shop, so maybe we can find a creepy one and scare the shorts off of Mido!" He started chuckling to himself as they both made their way now the ladder.

xXxXx

"ONYX!" Link yelled with his hands cupped around his mouth. "C'MON! I SAID I GAVE UP HOW LONG AGO! ONYX!" He sighed and moved into an alley when too many people were giving him strange looks. _How long has this guy played hide and seek?_ Link thought, looking through the same crates and barrels he had searched through before. A half an hour had passed and the Hylian had reached the end of his rope. Every time it was his turn to hide, the spot he was hiding in was discovered in under five minutes, yet whenever it was the brunette's turn to hide, Link got exhausted from searching. It always ended with him yelling out that he quit.

As the blonde strolled down the alley, a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He swiftly turned, victoriously grinning only to find-an empty alley. Link scanned the area. He was sure he saw something, but he just didn't know what. _The shadows are playing tricks with me_, he mentally groaned. Maybe it was his clothes that made him so easy to find. Bright green isn't the easiest to hide, while Onyx's black tunic could benefit him in all the dark corners of the town.

He sighed. _I need to work on my game skills._ Link turned to head back to the center of the town when a laugh made him stiff.

"Link!" Onyx cheered, pouncing into the Hylian and sending him onto the ground. "Why'd ya give up already? It was just getting good." He smiled down at the blonde while he pinned the other's shoulders to the ground.

"It took too long to find you, and I was getting tired," Link groaned.

Onyx stuck his tongue out. "Ya know," he chuckled. "I remember this from somewhere." Link gave him a funny look. "The graveyard. 'Member?"

The other boy blushed and nodded. "Yeah…I do." They smiled at each other, and Onyx leaned down, gently pushing his lips against Link's own. When he leaned back, he grinned. "Something like that happened, right?"

The Hylian grinned and laughed. "Help me up now."

The two walked out of the alley, hand in hand, and went over to the giant fountain planted in the heart of the town. Onyx jumped up onto the edge and held his arms out for balance as he strutted across. "Well, did you collect any during the game?"

"Not enough," Link said when he sat himself on the rim, taking out a small bag that contained a few rupees. "At least not for the Spooky mask, but I'm sure if you collected a few too, we could afford to rent Keaton mask." He looked up at the brunette that was making his way around the fountain.

"Naw, you can't scare anybody with that thing," Onyx said, jumping down and settling himself next to Link. "Well, we could probably get a few games at the Bombchu Bowling, but then we'll be out."

The blonde nodded and fingered his wallet. He found it strange that they were already out of things to do in a big place like this. He never thought that having fun cost money, but he decided that this place was far different than the simple woods.

Onyx was gazing at the different people in the town, trading goods or auctioning a variety of clothes. A few soldiers broadly marched into the plaza, followed by a kitschy dressed man holding a scroll. Onyx's ears perked up as he lightly elbowed Link to look ahead.

The flashy adult opened the scroll and held it up to read, raising his voice so that all the chattering and bidding ceased. "I come on behalf of the great King to publicize the new addition to the great Royal Family's Council! He is finely trained in the foreign battle tactics of the desert people and is the respective head representative of the Gerudo Tribe. The King trusts that with his further advice and knowledge, he can help give birth to an even greater Hyrule starting with a new Golden Age!" A man pushed through the soldiers to make his appearance. "May I present to the honorable citizens of Hyrule-" Onyx jumped up with a silent cry upon seeing the man. "-Dragmire Ganondorf!" The claps and cheers overpowered Link's yelp as the brunette seized his wrist and ran.

"We gotta go!" Onyx yelled, pushing through the crowd that was gathering.

"Hey, watch it, ya little brat!" growled a merchant as he pushed into the boys. Link suddenly tripped backwards, losing his grip on Onyx. He grunted and rubbed his bottom.

"Link? Link!" the ebony haired youth called once he realized that the Hylian was no longer behind him.

The green clad boy bit his lip. _Onyx, where are you?_ he thought desperately. The crowd was moving so roughly, he decided to just go with it lest be trampled. Link was about to turn around before a large lady rammed him in the side, causing him to fall foreword, out of the crowd and at the feet of the commotion.

"Dammit, shove off!" Onyx snarled, leaning down and rushing under. "Link, for crying out loud, answer me!" A final slip and he flew out, knocking into one of the soldiers.

"Whoa, there. Careful, boy. Hurry and get back to your parents now," a soldier said in a proud, yet kind way.

But Onyx didn't even listen. Across from him, on the ground, Link was slowly standing up and staring at a strangely armored man. The Hylian had fallen out of the crowd and clumsily tried to sit up only to see the man in black Onyx had earlier warned him about. Frozen, all he could do was stare as the powerful man kneeled in front of him and offered a hand. Link automatically smiled for the help, but frowned when he looked up at the man's face. A smile wrung on it, so misplaced and forced that it nearly scared Link out of his wits.

"Boy," Ganondorf spoke, "better get up unless you want to get hurt."

Link didn't move.

"Come now, boy, don't make this difficult. Get up and out of the wa-"

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Onyx screamed, jumping in front of the Hylian and slapping the large hand away disgustingly. He pushed Link behind him and lowered his head to glare menacingly at the Gerudo. "Don't. Touch. Him." He repeated.

Ganondorf smirked and made a _humph_ sound. "Well, boy, has anyone ever told you not to speak so rudely to your superiors?"

Onyx only snarled.

"Especially," the Gerudo continued, "if they may be in charge of your future." His eyes seemed to flame with a secret hilarity as to what he had said.

"Don't count on it! The gods will strike you down before your vile acts commence, and then you'll be sorry!" the brunette yelled, balling his fists and waving them at his sides rebelliously.

This only made Ganondorf laugh. "Guards, I believe this boy is in need of assistance. Remove him from my sight." A guard nodded and moved forward to grab at the boys, but Onyx yelled and bolted back into the crowd, Link in hand with a tight grip.

"I swear it! You'll never get away with it!" he shouted from beyond the crowd. And with an urging pull from Link, they dashed down the street and into an alleyway.

"Sir," a soldier stepped forward to the mighty Gerudo. "Do you want us to catch him for proper punishment?"

Ganondorf sneered. "No, let the children have their fun while they can." The soldier stared at him. "What are you waiting for? Get going!"

The soldiers around him stiffened attentively, and started their march back onto the castle grounds.

* * *

**A/N:**

I am sorry once again for being late, and I hope the chapter made you a bit less agitated! I finished it late at night, and I wanted to post immediately, but I had to edit, so I'm posting this now, the next day…..and thank goodness I did edit. (weird face)……(I hate how stupid smileys won't work on ff .net).

Things of course bother me with this chapter…but like hell I'm changing around so many things to make it work. I'd probably mess it up even more, so I'll just leave it and smile!

Wow, I hated writing the fight between Onyx and Link. I seriously hated that. And all the timing is annoying. During the typing of this all, I wanted to go to a night scene, but I all too late realized it was only about two hours after they had gotten out of bed. (sighs) Maybe I should take advantage of how in OOT, night and day are minutes apart. (grins) That'll make everything easier!

**I'm already horribly lazy when it comings to writing fanfics. So you can wait a few years, or review and I'll try to get it done within a few months.**

**Hah, not really. Or at least I hope not a few months… Oo**


	6. Summoned into Sleep

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_, otherwise, I would have made it sure that a certain shadow we all know would have greater parts…AND ACTUAL LINES!

**Rated:** PG-13 now folks! Things gonna get funky!

**Pairing: **Shounan ai is for kids!...so let's see what happens to Dark Link and Link sevens years later!

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_**Chapter Six: **Summoned into Sleep_

_Skip, skip, dunk. Skip, skip, skip, dunk. Skip, dunk._ Onyx sighed. The energy had left him, rendering the once chatty, hyper Onyx to a moping, sulking figure of a boy. He fingered another pebble and tossed it into the water without even trying to make it skip. It made a small _plop _and seemed to depress him even more. Track of time was lost as the two silently made there way to Lake Hylia and sat down at the edge. Link gazed at his companion for a few moments, before trying to playfully knock him out of his trance with a push. He waited a minute then tried again. Onyx only sighed.

"Onyx…" Link whined. "Onyx, please snap out of it. It's gonna be okay, the King won't let 'em do anything to ruin Hyrule. If he tries anything bad, then the guards will be on 'em and everything will go back to nor-"

"Link, you don't understand!" the brunette interrupted. "Everything's going as it was told! It's almost certain that something bad is going to come out of him being here and so close to the King!" Frustrated, he swiped up another pebble and threw it out into the lake. "I just don't understand how blind some people can be! The man's dressed in black for crying out loud!"

"Onyx, you're dressed in black," Link said matter-of-factly. He stood up and brushed aside some of the midnight bangs hiding Onyx's hopeless eyes. "C'mon, now. Things'll get better. What else can we do but wait, anyway."

The brunette shot up, startling the Hylian back a few steps. "I refuse to just wait here! I'm going!"

"No!" gasped the Hylian. "You can't go! C'mon, Onyx! Don't do something crazy! Come back home! What about our deal!"

Onyx gazed at him, confused.

"Our deal, remember?" Link pleaded, never loosening his grip from his comrade's arm. "We made a deal that we'd explore that-" the boy pointed into the water, "-temple together! If you go, something's going to happen to you! I know it!"

"I thought you said nothing bad was going to happen," the brunette replied dryly.

Link bit his lip. "Onyx, please. Let the Hylians take care of it. Please, let's just go home now."

The ebony haired boy stared into the other's eyes for a moment, then sighed in defeat. "Fine…" Link exclaimed with joy and dove at Onyx for a relieved hug. The brunette embraced him back and nestled his head into Link's shirt. "Let's go home…"

Taking the short cut, Link gasped for air as they arose in the Lost Woods. The Hylian encouraged the other to every playful game he could come up with, but something about Onyx seemed to be a bit distant. If he would ask about it, a sudden grin and a hug from the other changed the topic immediately, much to Link's growing concern.

Eventually the little blonde gave up and went with the goofy smile, his childish innocence hiding from him the darkness that was growing in Onyx's eyes. But the brunette couldn't let his worries upset his friend. He was, after all, the other's guardian, so he would avoid sending Link into such a chaotic destiny by doing whatever it took of him. Onyx smiled sadly to himself when he saw Link's smile as they ran back to the tree home. _It doesn't have to happen. Not to someone like you, Link. _Link laughed as he reached the ladder first and started hurriedly up the wooden steps, Onyx trudging behind with the same sad smile on his face. _That's why I've got to leave. Maybe I can take your place too. _His smile turned into a grin as he rushed up the steps after his companion. _That **is** why I chose to look like you._

"HAH!" Link shouted, jumping onto the bed and bouncing around to point down at Onyx. "I did it! I beat you!" He made another bounce and landed a bit clumsily next to the ebony haired boy.

"Yeah, right you did! I want a re-race!" Onyx joked.

Link only stuck his tongue out and giggled. He was soon tackled down, pulled onto the floor, by the brunette, thus beginning their old tickling game. The Hylian felt he had learned a thing or two from Onyx, yet every time he seemed to have finally gotten the upper edge, the other would come back, laughing, and have him in a headlock within the next second.

"Rule One: The key is…" Onyx grinned, grunting a bit to dodge Link's fist from below him, "…to sur-ow! surprise!"

Link groaned in frustration and tried butting his head into Onyx's chin, but the brunette's weight overbalanced him. "I give up! Get off me! I give!"

Onyx blew into the Hylian's ear, causing the blonde to twitch as if he had desperately needed to tend an itch. "Rule Two: Never give up! I've heard you say that way too many times. Link-Ack! Remember when I say you can do pretty much anything if you keep at it. HAH! Pinned ya!"

Onyx grinned victoriously, having trapped the other's arms on the floor. Link looked up at him fiercely, only to have the ebony haired boy stick his tongue out tauntingly. _You want a surprise, loud mouth?_ Suddenly, Link lunged forward and bit Onyx's tongue, causing the brunette to yelp and jump back rapidly. A hand flew to his mouth as the wide-eyed, suddenly out of breath boy stared in disbelief at the small Hylian in front of him.

And if ever there was a prize for the smuggest look on record, Link would have won it hands down. He sat cross-legged with a smirk, tilting his head to the side. "Sorry," he chuckled, "did I surprise you?" The blonde got up, laughing, as he made his way over to his shocked friend.

"Maybe a little," Onyx smiled, standing up next to the other. "You sure are bold."

Link pointed his index finger into Onyx's chest. "Not as much as you, though." The brunette raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Instead, he gently took his companion by the hand and led the boy over to the small wooden bed. There, with his arms sliding around the other's waist, Onyx took Link into a warming embrace. "Link?"

A 'mmph' came from Onyx's chest.

"Link," the brunette smiled, "I need you to promise me something."

Link made an irritated groan and moved his head onto Onyx's shoulder and looked up into the other's eyes. "Another one?"

"Yeah, another one," he said. "Link, I want you to promise me that you won't worry. Another thing is that I don't want you to follow me without my knowing. If you do, I'll bring you back down into that Deku hole and let you find the way out." He winked. "Just little things, but as your guardian, I want you to follow 'em. Got that?"

Link stared. "What? Why? Where are you going? Are you going to the cas-"

"Sh-shush!" Onyx said, putting a finger up to Link's mouth. "I asked if you got it."

"I got it. But-"

"No buts! So stop butting, you butt!"

"Hey!" Link shouted. "Don't call me a butt! You're a butt then!"

Onyx beamed and gave Link's shoulders a tight squeeze, leaning down onto the bed with a sigh. "Fine then. I'm a butt, you happy? You're going out with a butt." Link gave him a horrified look while Onyx just snorted and broke into a fit of laughter, the blonde soon joining.

Never would Link have thought that something so simple would give him such peace. Laying in Onyx's arms and snuggling into a warm, welcoming chest, and a heartbeat to lullaby him to sleep. _I've only had one parent,_ Link thought dreamily. _But it's hard for him to bend his branches into a hug. _He sighed. Saria couldn't give this kind of comfort either. He grew up pretending she was his big sister, but he still didn't feel comfortable when she hugged him during a troubled time. It just wasn't the _right_ hug.

_But this_, the Hylian smiled. _This is perfect._

A moment or two turned into an hour, and the soft breathing signaled Onyx for his departure. He hesitated. Link's small, sleeping form and peaceful face made him reconsider his plans. It only took a moment for Onyx to realize it was because of the sleeping figure that he was leaving. At this he smiled reassuringly.

The brunette bent down next to the bed. "A favor this time," he said, brushing back some wandering hair from the snoozing face. "Wait up for me." And with that, Onyx kissed Link's cheek, laid a small gift near the other's head, and left the little Hylian in his tree house, leaving the Kokiri Village for good.

xXxXx

A bright light danced in front of his eyes. "Onyx…" Link whined, turning over to escape the buzzing behind him. "Stop it….I wanna sleep…"

"Hello, Link!"

Link moaned. _Why was Onyx always so gosh darn cheerful in the morning? How was that even possible?_

"Wake up!"

The blonde boy groaned.

"The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you!"

Link's eyes shot opened.

"Hey! C'mon!"

His body seemed to freeze. _Onyx?_

"Can Hyrule's destiny really depend on such a lazy boy?"

He sat up and eyes his snapped to a blinding, little ball of light with tiny, transparent wings.

"You finally woke up! I'm Navi the fairy! The Great Deku Tree asked me to be your partner from now on! Nice to meet you!"

Link faintly nodded. There was a fairy in his room. A fairy without a Kokiri. Right here-right next to him with a cheery, hyper voice. But where was his other cheery, hyper voice? Where was his real partner? It was all too early in the morning for this! "Wha-"

"The Great Deku Tree has summoned you!" she yelled, bouncing up and down in the air excitedly. "So let's get going, right now!"

Without warning, Navi bolted out of the room, Link hurrying after her with his hat in fist. Upon the bed, wrinkled and crumbled from being rolled over, was a small, forgotten, yellow flower.

* * *

Seven years later…

* * *

"All I'm saying, Navi," Link said, waving the Master Sword in his hand as if to make a point. "Is that I'd appreciate your advise a little more if it was before or after a battle. Not during it!"

"I'm sorry, but you were aiming wrong! The weak point was on its belly, not its head! You could've been killed!" Navi cried, darting in Link's face and clutching his nose. Link gently pushed her away; he was seeing spots again and felt dizzy as he walked up to a locked door. "Use the key to open it!"

The Hylian's gloved hand stopped in mid-air as he turned and glared at Navi accusingly. "What did we talk about?"

"Well, I can't help it! You're growing up so fast and I can't bare thinking that you don't need my help anymore, Link!" the fairy squeaked, crossing her arms.

Link sighed. "I'll always need your help, Navi," he smiled. "Just not with opening doors." He chuckled and stuck the key into the rusting lock, turning it until he heard a satisfying _click_.

Then in stepped a physically matured version of what was once the shunned Kokiri without a fairy. His childish features matured into what can simply be described as overly handsome, if not stunning. The young man was far from defenseless, and stood with a sense of pride in his new ability. Although wielding the bane of all evil could have possibly been a spirit lifter, the sense that there was reason to his rough childhood helped lift a weight that had invisibly weighed down the boy to a poor degree. He was entrusted with a much greater burden now, for he was Hyrule's last hope, its savior. He was Link, the Hero of Time.

And he was irritably soaked to boot.

"Don't tell me we're outside? This is the only door we could get to!"

"No," the fairy pondered aloud. "We can't be outside! We're still under the lake! Perhaps it's magic?"

Link grunted took a few steps forward. This was no good. There was nothing in this room, quite literally. The fog seemed to hide anything of importance in the distance, and it seemed to be even wetter in here than the other parts of the temple, avoiding the areas that were nothing **but** water. The Hylian wiped away some soggy hair with his free hand, and let out an exhausted sigh, bending over to clutch his knees. "Navi, I've gotta sit down. If ya can't sense anything, tell me 'cause I'll gladly collapse right here…" he groaned.

"You're so dramatic, Link," the fairy replied, ignoring Link's glare. Navi huffed and fluttered to his head where she sat comfortably as if to think. "Well, it seems peaceful enough, but why would Ganondorf make such a room?"

"What if the Zolas-"

"Zoras! Zoras, Link! Come now! Such a bad habit should be broken by now!"

The blonde headed boy nodded and straightened up, embarrassment covering his features. Unwelcome memories shot up from when he accidentally insulted the Zora King, or when Princess Zelda laughed at him kindly and corrected that they were not in fact Zolas, but Zoras. Mentally, he winced as an even greater unwanted memory came to mind, the first time he was corrected about it, but shook his head as if to rid the vision from his mind. It was too good to last, but he was too foolish at the time to understand that.

Without realizing it, Link's eyes had glazed over from his deep thinking, and his pointed ears began to droop in depression. Though he was slowly getting better at it, there were times when random things made him remember. He bit his lip in frustration. _No! Not in the middle of a temple! Suck it up!_ In an attempt to cease his wandering thoughts, he armed his shield and began marching across the drenched floor.

"Link? Link! Wait for me!" the fairy squeaked desperately. She poked at Link's cheek, concerned for his bowed head and solemn expression. He merely shook his head, the golden bangs waving and kept walking. "Hey! Stop! Link, stop and look over there!" The Hylian had halted so suddenly that Navi flew into his head, yipping and clinging onto the man's soggy blue tunic for aid. She clambered onto his shoulder and point out to the left. "There! See it! A tree! Out of nowhere! What do you think it means, Link? Link-hey! Eep!" Navi cried when her grip was lost as Link bolted away towards the tree.

He stopped dead in his tracks, and let out a silent cry of defeat. _Nothing._ _Nothing but some stupid, old, dead tree._ In all honesty, the fairy pointing out a tree was as uninteresting as when she pointed out any other obvious thing, but looking over…Link groaned. He was so sure.

As Navi caught up with the Hylian, she gave him a disciplinary pinch on his cheek and straddled herself on Link's shoulder, bound to hold on this time. "Listen! If we're going to search, I thought I saw a door up ahead! When you ran the fog cleared a bit and I'm sure I saw something!"

Link's eyes gazed away impassively. He was sure he saw something too, but it didn't mean he really did. However, the blonde shrugged and took a step forward, his spirits dim once more.

Yet a sudden splash perked his ears and, upon turning around, a sword stabbed into the air right over his shoulder and nearly slicing the poor fairy in two. She yelped and darted into Link's cap as the hero simply stared. "On…" his mouth moved but nothing came out. Limply his arms hung at his sides until dropping his weapons completely. "...On…ni-n…" he whispered, while deeply inside, he was screaming a name over and over.

For in front of him, posed and ready, was Onyx. With the excitement of a 10-year-old child, Link lunged at the other young man, wrapping his arms around the brunette so tightly that he felt as if it would show his overwhelming happiness if he were able to break bones. "You're alive! You're here! I knew it! I knew you were only playing! I knew that I'd find you! I knew it! I knew-" A sudden forceful grip on his upper arms caught the excited breath out of the Hylian. "Ony-Ah, oaf!" The ebony clad man threw Link back, onto the ground, flipping up his own sword from the ground with his foot, and swiping it right in front of the blonde's neck, all in one swift move. Afraid to even swallow, Link fearfully brought his gaze up. What was going on? There he was: the shiny, black hair that curved his face perfectly, the dark tunic that matched the Hylian's own, the fiery, red eyes that seems to glow with the greatest-…hate? Link felt he had to double-take. But no…there it was; undeniable fury.

Suddenly the fate of Hyrule, Princess Zelda's pleads for help, and Ganondorf's taunting horror all seemed like a small bother compared to the biggest problem that was wracking Link's mind: What was wrong with Onyx? He cleared his throat, quite carefully, and almost let a whimper escape when the sword edge into Link's neck. "Onyx," he whispered, and against better judgment cleared his throat again and yelled, "Onyx!"

A reflecting look passed the shadowy figure's eye, but it was quickly replaced by a more negative aspect. The glowering figure turned and sheathed his sword, throwing his shield next to the tree and walking away without another thought. Link sat in the water with a look of utter distress. He stumbled to get up and trudged after the other for a few steps. He stopped with his hand held halfway up, with his lips mouthing the words 'Wait'. His body seemed to slump as he watched the figure begin to disappear in the fog.

"Link! Look!" Navi yelped, peeping out of the cap when the strange stillness caught her notice. "I see it now! The door! It's opened now, Link! He's letting us through! Hurry! Before it closes! Hey, Link!"

"Navi!" Link yelled, catching the fairy off guard and almost knocking her out of the cap. The Hylian reached up and took the little ball of light gently in his hands. "Go into the room and wait for me. I promise, I'll be there, but…but I just need to take care of something first!"

"Hey! Wait a minute-"

"Navi! Scout ahead to make sure everything's safe! Please do this for me!" he pleaded, the look of desperation on his face almost too much to bear.

The fairy stared back until, slowly, the tiny being fluttered away, frequently turning back for another look a Link, standing there with a look she's never seen before. When she finally did disappear from view, the Hylian changed his gaze to where Onyx had trudged away, and took off after his long lost friend.

* * *

**A/N:**

Ok, to show I WAS devoted to this chapter, I hooked up my Gamecube (it was in a box after the move), got out MasterQuest or Collector's Edition (I forgot which) and started a new game on OOT. Everything Navi said when she first met Link is OFFICIAL! I wrote it down myself!

….teehee, I put in the name OMG when I began the game….hah! And when I edited this chapter, I realized I stupidly put "Wake up, OMG!" XD

**I'm running out of things to threaten you with. So just review and it'll make things easier.**


	7. Shadow Link

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_, otherwise, you would have to wait 50 years for a game to come out.

**Rated:** PG-13 for now.

**Pairing: **DarkLink x Link

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_**Chapter Seven:** Shadow Link  
_

"Let go of me…"

In the black fabric of his tunic, Onyx felt the other shake his head, squeezing his hold around the brunette and nestling his face closer.

"Let go of me, now," Onyx growled.

It could have been the uncomfortable, wet atmosphere, or the disturbing and slightly depressing young man leaning against a stone structure sticking out of the water, but whatever it was, it seemed to drain the excitement the Hylian had only moments ago. Link shivered at the unnerving stillness of the room, but kept his attention ahead. What mattered now was one thing. One important thing that had his backed turned to him.

His Onyx.

Link cleared his throat, in hopes that his presence would get more notice. He stared at the back of the long cap, but nothing changed. Biting his lip, he stepped forward and reached his hand out.

"Don't touch me," came a deep, unwelcoming voice before Link barely had the chance to settle his hand down on the other's shoulder.

"Onyx," the Hylian whined, easily ridding himself of the mature stature he was forced to obtain and giving into the little, 10-year-old spirit that still dwelled within him. "Turn around. Onyx…look at me. C'mon!" But again as Link reached out to grasp the black tunic, Onyx viciously jerked his body away, turning his head slightly only to glare back at the blonde. "What's happened to you? Onyx…where have you been? Why are you like this-"

"Be quiet," came a fierce command. His head had turned away from the other, yet his body was still tense as if he were expecting Link to lung out and embrace him again. "Now, get out."

"But Onyx-"

"Stop calling me that!" the ebony clothed man snarled, fully turning around with his fists held out from his sides. "I'm not your precious Onyx, Hero. So move on and get out the hell of this room!"

An echo of the dark man's outburst faded into the fog, yet it repeated agonizingly over and over in the Hylian's mind.

"Not my Onyx," Link snorted. "What are you talking about? Did you hit your head or run into something? Onyx, we met in the forest! Remember? Dammit, Onyx, look at me when I'm talking to-Uuh!"

Onyx had reached out and tangled his hand in Link's tunic, giving him a fierce shake in the process. He pulled Link closer and narrowed his eyes. "Leave. Now," he hissed venomously. "I'm giving you the chance to live, now get out before I take that chance away from you."

Link found his voice and swallowed, narrowing his eyes back. "You would never…" he whispered.

Onyx growled and slammed the Hylian back. He turned and started back to the tree, swiping up his discarded sword and holding it up to neck level. "Trust me, Hero, I would. And I will unless you get out."

"_Get out, get out,_ what's wrong with you, Onyx?"

"I'M NOT ONYX!" the brunette yelled, charging at the Hylian with his weapon.

Link yelped, having been forced to jump back and gain his footing before another blow came from the other. He scrambled up, reaching for anything that would help and- "Agh!" Link screamed, falling back down and clutching his shoulder as a fresh, new warmth ran down it. "G-Gods, my-" he let out a grunt as another jolt of pain ran through his body. Between his neck and his arm, a large, ugly rip ran through his skin.

Onyx swallowed, hesitating, before moving his sword so that it was right in front of Link's nose, catching the agonizing man's attention. The blonde shivered at the sight of his own blood on the sword so close to his face. "I'll only say it one more time…Get…out," he said lowly, letting the sword tip wave in front of the Hylian's eyes before drawing back his weapon and turning away.

Shaking, Link stood up and started walking cautiously past Onyx, avoiding any eye contact. He trudged to where the newly opened door was, and stopped at the frame. Link looked back. Nothing was there but the lone black tree and the taunting mist. Onyx was gone. Link bit his lip and swallowed, his glove getting sticky with blood from holding his wound. He took a deep breath, then stopped suddenly and turned, rushing into the new room where a worried fairy was waiting for him.

_That wasn't Onyx._

"Link! Finally! What were you doing! What took you so long! Link!" Navi sang, dashing around Link's head in a blinding ball of light. "What's wrong with your shoulder? Where's that man? Link! He did this! I told you! I warned you! Oh, Link! You're hurt!"

"Onyx…" the Hylian muttered, drifting his gaze back at the door, seeing it was closed and bolted. "Navi…Navi, that was Onyx. I know it. He was right there, but…but, oh gods," he hissed as the fairy poked at his shoulder.

"By the goddesses! Link! We must find a something to heal that right now! Hurry, get the item! You're bleeding!"

"But Navi! Onyx! Onyx, that was him! Onyx was in there! I know it, I know-"

"I don't care who that was, Link! That was an enemy and I was a fool to have left you! I'm so sorry," she suddenly changed her tone and clung her little body to the torn sleeve of Link's tunic.

He stopped at that and simply looked down, his ears drooping and his overall expression dying. With another step, Navi had taken flight again, verbally worrying over Link's shoulder wound. The Hylian ventured over to a chest that seemed to have been quietly absent through the exchange. Opening it he found…well, nothing. The inside of the chest was just the moldy insides and nothing more.

"Link? What could an empty chest be doing here?" Navi chirped, flying around Link's head and finally landing on top of the chest. "The least it could have had was one of my sisters! Then we'd be rid of that horrible gash!"

"It's alright, Navi, it doesn't hurt that much" Link said quietly. When he looked down at her, the fairy's heart cracked. He looked like a child that was just abandoned, and Navi was reminded once again that this adult hero still had that little weakness inside of him. "This temple is how old," he spoke with a forced calmness. "We shouldn't be surprised that it's empty, right? It's no big deal…"

The fairy remained quiet as she flew up onto Link's woundless shoulder and patted his ear. "Let's go, Link…"

Link only nodded as he carried on, his grief growing with every step he took away from the fog-filled room.

The following rooms proved to be more challenging and merciless than the earlier ones. Of course they were tough, but the ones in the beginning seemed to at least have a higher chance of him actually getting through. The Hylian's hookshot helped little to none, and even the fairy was running out of advice. And if to add on to their misfortunes, Link's wound seemed to be worsening as its stench grew poorer. The best he could do until a healing fairy was found was to press an old bandana against it and hope it wouldn't get infected.

Each room began looking alike and sounding alike. Water, water, it was all water and it was driving him insane. Not only was his hope crushed and ripped into shreds, but this goddessforsaken temple just never seemed to end!

Link groaned as a door led to the main room again. The more he felt familiar with the room, the more he hated it. Using the tower in the middle for support, he dragged his feet over to a north-or was it south?- side. Within two jumps, the blonde had made it to the ledge that led to where his final battle was. Navi tried to lighten his mood by bringing up the warm meals waiting for him in Kakariko, but not even that sweet, plump cooking lady bouncing into his memories could lift Link's depressing mood.

"Navi," he breathed, clutching his shoulder again and leaning down the side of the wall onto his knees. "I can't go in there now. It's killing me so much-aaah," Link hissed when the fairy opened his collar to reveal a blood-soaked bandana.

She gave a yelp and shot into the air. "Oh dear, oh dear! Link, I'll find you a fairy! I must! Just stay put and rest! Oh dear, this is bad. Very, very bad," Navi started muttering as her tiny, bright body disappeared in the many mazes of the temple.

His eyes tried to follow her glow but his vision started getting blurry. At this, the Hylian closed his eyes and adjusted his body so that his entire left side was leaning on the wall with his left arm leaning around to gently clutch at his pounding shoulder. He sat with his left leg crossed underneath his right, while his right arm wounded around his stomach as if to provide some warmth that was rapidly escaping his body. The Hero's mind was starting to get fuzzy, but he didn't try to wake up anymore than he was. As far as he was concerned, the darkness was welcoming.

His mind was nearly cleared when a strange sensation tingled along his shoulder. It felt like tiny hands smoothing over mending skin and tapping on it to make sure it was sturdy enough, like a job well done. The Hylian opened his eyes only to bright site of pinkish-red, and shut them immediately to escape the intensity.

A figure behind him stood up, the look of longing in his eyes disappearing to be replaced by a blank glare. He turned to be on his way but a weak grip on his leggings turned his attention.

The Hero's head was still bent and leaning on the wall, but his right hand, the shoulder wound now healed, had leaned back to catch the figure before he walked away.

Minutes passed between them, an almost familiar silence, until the shadowy figure moved his leg a bit, trying to rid himself from the blonde's grip. "Let go of me," he said quietly, but the Hylian did not budge. Another moment passed when the darker man sighed. "Link, I'm telling you to let go of me…"

A quiet chuckle came from the blonde. He looked up, a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless, gracing his features. "You said my name, Onyx."

The dark figure sighed again and kneeled down, taking Link's wrist and pulling it off of his leggings. "I told you," he muttered, "My name isn't Onyx." His hand still had a small hold on Link's.

"Then what do I call you?"

"…Shadow Link."

"Shadow?" Link whispered, finally moving his head away from the wall and up at the other man's face. "Like when you were little?"

"No," the man now addressed as Shadow Link said coolly. "Because it's what I am." He fingered behind his shield and pulled out a strange contraption.

"What do you mean?" Link asked quietly, as if saying it any louder would cause the whole moment to disappear. "My shadow-"

"Here," said the brunette has he pushed the item into Link's chest.

"What is-"

"Don't lose it."

"Isn't this the hooksh-"

"You'll need it for that thing in there."

"But-"

"Link," Shadow Link said more sternly, causing Link to turn his attention away from the weapon. "Don't lose it."

With that, the shadow got up and turned to walk away.

"Wait! Onyx-uh-Shadow Link!" Link yelled, getting onto his feet as Shadow Link jumped onto the floating platform. "Don't leave just like that!" He held his breath as the figure stopped and titled his head back as if to listen. "If just to talk, please. Don't walk away like that…not again…"

The brunette jumped again to land on the tower's edge that stood in the middle of the room. With his back still facing Link, he grunted, "Three questions." His titled his head to the side to speak, "Outside, on the island in the middle of the lake, I'll give you three answers."

"W-wait, I don't under-"

"Link! Look-see! I brought a sister to heal you!" A blue light suddenly blinded his sight as Navi came up and tapped his nose. "Wait, what happened? You're healed!" A red light joined her and soon Link was seeing spots.

He swatted his hand in front of his face to clear the two fairies back so he could regain his vision. The blonde looked back at the tower in the middle of the room and frowned. No one was there. When Navi pulled on his earring, he blew at her and smiled. "There was a pot over there that I checked out while you were gone. Turns out a fairy was hiding in there that offered to heal me. I was just waiting for you, Nav."

The tiny blue fairy seemed to have sighed and began chatting with the red fairy. Pretty soon, and with plenty of mutters and huffs, she had convinced the healing fairy to hide in one of Link's bottle in case she could be of help in the next battle.

Opening the giant doors, the Hero fitted his grip around his newly acquired weapon. Whatever was waiting for him in here, it had better die quick. He had somewhere to be.

xXxXx

"Navi?"

"Yes, Link?" the fairy chirped as she stood on Link's shoulder to rid her wings of water droplets.

"Do you think she can really do that," Link asked, taking his cap off to ring the water out of it onto the grassy island they trudged on.

"Do what?"

"Just…you know, Nav, proclaim a marriage like that? I mean, she doesn't honestly think that I'd…we….it's wouldn't work, right?"

The fairy only giggled. "She is princess of the Zoras, who knows what she's capable of, haha!"

"Navi!" Link whined, flapping his cap back and securing it onto his head. "It would never work! I mean, I'm starting to hate water after all of that, my in-laws would all be fish, and…Goddesses, what would our kids look like? _How_ would we even _have_ kids? It doesn't seem possi-"

"Hello, Hero of Time."

"AH!" Link jumped back, fearful that it was the very Zora woman he was ranting about. "Oh…oh Gods, Sheik, for crying out loud." The Hylian sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Stop jumpin' out like that."

"Forgive me, I was standing there for a moment or two, but you hadn't noticed during your little…speech," said the Sheikah. Link frowned at that, noting the bit of amusement in the other's tone. "Did Ruto want to thank me?"

Link nodded.

"I see..." the Sheikah looked to the lake for a minute, a peaceful vibe coming from his relaxed posture. "We have to return peace to Hyrule for her sake, too. Don't we?" He turned to look at Link and waved his hand to beckon the Hylian over. "Look at that, Link..." Sheik said, turning back to the lake. "Together, you and Princess Ruto destroyed the evil monster. Once again, the lake is filled with pure water. All is as it was."

The Hero hummed in reply, taking in the calmness of the scene. It was rare nowadays to find a place that wasn't run down with poverty or monsters, making the tranquility of the lake even more unreal. Sitting himself down, Link wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his chin on his knees. "Sheik," he said quietly. The bard looked over to show his attention. "The rest of Hyrule, the Forest, they're all just curses, right?"

Slowly, the Sheikah nodded. "Lay down by one evil and powerful man."

"Yeah…" Link replied, leaning his head down to hide behind his knees. "Does that mean that once the curses are lifted, everything will go back to normal? Like the lake?"

It was silent for a few minutes, causing Link to think he was alone until, "Things will never be normal, Hero. The fears and terrors of this time will never erase from the villagers' minds. These seven years have harmed more minds than it has bodies, traumatizing and stealing the innocence away from all who have lived through it."

Another moment passed before Link looked up, realizing he was now alone. It was strange though…he still felt a presence with him. "Navi?"

"Yes, Link?" the blue fairy piped, flying over to land on Link's knees.

"The scarecrow over there, near the small garden," he said, "I forgot what the song was that he taught us. Would you mind going over and working with him to make a new song? One that's easier to remember?"

The fairy sighed and turned her back on Link, fluttering her little wings in Link's face.

"C'mon, Nav, I'm exhausted from that thing in the temple. It'll be like multi-tasking. I'll rest up so I'll be able to take us to Kakariko, while you just get a small song from that dancing scarecrow."

Again, Navi sighed, but turned around, swiped Link on the nose with her tiny hand, and was off.

The blonde watched the ball of light zoom off before he leaned his head back into his arms. "Thank you for coming…" he said against his arm.

A figure came from behind the tree and trudged up to the sitting man. "You seem to have a lot of guardians now."

The Hylian's body visibly relaxed at the closer proximity of the other man."…Are you still one of them?" the hunched figure asked, his voice a bit muffled.

"I made a promise. I wouldn't lie to you, Link."

The Hylian then looked up, taking in the calmer, older version of his once-Onyx in the sunset light. "But you'd keep things from me."

The brunette only nodded and sat himself down next to Link, shifting one leg under him while the other bent in front, allowing him to rest his arm on it. "True," was all he said.

"…Shadow…Link?" Link asked hesitantly. The other only turned his head slightly. "Why do you seem so different now? In that room, you…you acted like a completely different person…"

"Is that one of your questions?" the shadow spoke coolly.

After a moment, Link nodded and turned his full attention to the ebony haired man beside him. "…What happened to you to make you this way? You seem hateful and…depressed at the same time." Dimly, in the back of his mind, Link remembered the sharp pain of Shadow Link's sword cutting into his shoulder. "You…you attacked me…"

Gazing over the lake, Shadow Link looked tired, as if he longed for something he couldn't have. He turned his eyes to the Hero, causing the other to gulp. He looked so…so sad. _Sad and tired…_Link thought.

"My mind is unstable, Link…I was defeated before I even fought the battle. Seven years ago, I underwent a bit of side-switching against my will that ended up messing with my thought process. I see the world differently and have urges to break things, whether it be to hurt something or just kill it," the shadow said in a monotone voice that left Link frowning. He continued, "Sometimes the urges are strong to the point where I can't control them," his eyes met Links for a second before drifting over the blonde's shoulder. "Overall, I've become violent and unbalanced, leaving my social skills to drop dramatically. From there, things only got worse to the point of me being what you see in front of you."

A crooked smile replaced the sad one, causing the Hylian to cringe and look away. "Does that change your mind about things, Hero?" the shadow cooed amusingly.

"Stop it," Link snapped.

"Stop what?"

"Stop that…acting that way. It's irritating. You never acted that way before-"

"Seven years is a long time, Link," Shadow Link said coolly.

"And why do you keep switching between Link and…and 'Hero'? What's up with that?"

"Is that your second question?"

Startled, Link shook his head, "No! Just tell me everything that's happened to you! Where have you been? Why you were in that room? I mean, c'mon, and now you're _Shadow Link._ Where did that come from?!"

"Link," the brunette sighed, "Choose which question you want to ask and then ask it straight on."

Link felt a pout coming on, but he held it down and just glared at the lake angrily. Ever since he was first told the truth before his tree-father-figure died, he already felt the innocence in him draining. Now, after so long, the one thing he had hoped to bring some of that innocence back was acting cold-hearted. _Too adult like…_ Link snorted. "Actin' like he's older than me," he muttered aloud.

"I am older than you. Now ask you're third question."

The blonde's head shot up. "What?! That wasn't a question! That wasn't even directed at you! It was-"

"Link," the shadow said lowly. "You're seventeen years old and will one day defeat the Prince of Darkness so that you can restore Hyrule to what it was seven years ago, fulfilling a prophecy that lies on your very shoulders. Stop pouting over a petty argument and grow some balls."

"Shut the hell up! You can lecture me when you've know me for more than a few days! Until then, act like you're actually happy to see me, you freaking liar."

"I am no more a liar than you are the Hero of Time. And seventeen year old men don't say _freaking_, Link. They say fu-"

"Shut up! Goddesses, forget it! Just forget it! If you're gonna be a bastard, then forget it! Go off with your new name and your new friends and your new home because I'm sure you promised them the same lies you promised me," he snarled, getting up and turning his back on the ebony clad man on the ground. He neared the bridge posts but was unable to keep walking. Shadow Link had come up and embraced the Hero from behind. The Hylian yelped when the man pulled the blonde body harshly against his own and nuzzle his face on Link's neck.

"By the gods, you don't know how much I've longed to touch you again…" he whispered in a smoky voice, and before Link could yell 'WHAT?!', the Hylian was turned around and forced into an even tighter embrace. Something wet rubbed against his lips. In an attempt the call the shadow something that must have started with a 'bas-', his voice was simply drowned out by a tongue colliding with his own. The Hylian clutched the other's shoulders when Shadow Link started demonstrating exactly how much he had matured over the years by pushing Link against the bridge post and rubbing his leg in between the blonde's thighs. The pecks on the cheek that Link remembered seemed so much…different now, especially with the added sensations the shadow brought on as he moved his hands around- HOLY gods of nature…!

"Mmph-op! Stop! Dammit," Link growled, gripping the shadow's shoulders and shoving them back. As the both of them panted, Link looked Shadow Link square in the eyes. "I still have one more question."

The brunette stared at him, then shrugged and walked back to the tree. He turned and leaned against it with his arms crossed, looking at the Hero who was still recovering from the sudden burst of affection. "Alright, shoot."

Breathing deeply, Link followed his example and plopped down to lean his back against the massive tree trunk. "Whatever the heck-"

"Hell, Link. Seventeen years old now."

"Fine, _hell._ Whatever the _hell_ you were doing, before you do it, first tell me why you look like me."

"Is that a problem?" the shadow asked nonchalantly.

"It is when you're kissing-"

"Making out, Link."

"-yourself," the blonde continued, "And you better damn well give me an answer this time. That last question wasn't even fair, and the one before that didn't answer a thing besides you're even weirder than you were before!"

When Shadow Link began speaking, the Hero could already tell that the man over him was smirking. "I liked a prophecy when I was…younger. My creator told it to me-"

"Creator?"

"_Mother_ told it to me," the dark man went on, "And it basically was the legend of the Hero of Time. I liked the story enough that I wanted to follow in the Hero's footsteps, thus, I chose to grow up looking like you."

"How do you choose what you're going to look like?" Link asked.

"That's four questions-"

"It's all apart of the third question!"

The shadow hid a smile. "Fine, fine," he said. "I was supposed to be a messenger of my mother's, so I had to be able to change my shape and appearance for specific jobs. Anymore than that, I can't tell you because after getting mixed up with you, I never was able to grow into my role and got stuck this way."

"That's all fine and dandy but _how_ did you change shapes?!"

"Oh, my mom's Din."

"Oh."

Shadow Link hummed in reply.

"…You're not serious, right?"

"Oh, no, I'm serious. The Goddess Din, though. Don't get confused with any other Din."

"Oh…okay…"

The shadow only smiled and rested his head back on the tree.

"You're messed up," Link said, and added after another minute of thought, "All of this is."

Smirking, the dark man reached down and patted Link on the head. "Get up. I'm leaving now. The fairy's coming back."

Pulling the Hylian up to stand next to him, he cupped the blonde's face and kissed him briskly. "Take your horse and stay at Lon Lon for the night. In the morning, head to Kakariko to restock for the next temple."

Link allowed himself to be kissed and nodded.

"Link?"

"Yes?"

"Still have my weapon?"

The Hylian pulled out the hookshot from under his shield and held it out in front of him.

"Good boy…" the shadow smirked. "Keep it for now. Also," he started, glancing to the side. "That bard isn't your type, trust me."

Before Link could ask what he meant, Shadow Link had already leaned into for another kiss, "And for earlier," he shrugged, fingering the Hylian's collar and keeping his eyes down, a little lower than Link's face. "I was excited…about seeing you again."

The Hero smiled and took up the brunette's hand. "You're still as bipolar as when you were little."

Shadow Link smiled back, but…sadly. Very sadly, Link noted. He pulled the blonde into a hug, rubbing his back and leaning his lips up to Link's ear. "Link…I'm sorry, but Onyx died…a long time ago…" he whispered, "…I'm all that's left…"

He felt Link's body tense under his a little so his grip only tightened one last time before he detached himself from the Hero and walked away. Taking a moment to stare at the ground and think about how…wrong those words were, Link finally forced himself to look up, not at all surprised to see he was alone. Looking around, the lake seemed to lose the glamour it had earlier, as if the shine dimmed out. Nevertheless, Link sighed, he knew the lake was as good as it was going to get. His next step was to…well…follow Shadow Link's command-

"Link!" a bright light smacked into his forehead, "That nasty scarecrow had the nerve to insult me! Link! He wouldn't improvise a new song with me at all! He just sat there dancing and saying that he would never work with something that couldn't play music! Do you believe that, Link?! The nerve! The nerve!" Navi zipped over to Link's nose and pinched it, pointing her tiny hands over the lake to the small garden near the laboratory. "Teach him a lesson, Link! Show that pile of hay Din's power and that ask if he wants to cooperate!"

Blinking to save his abused eyes, the Hylian swatted in front of his face and finally, _gently_, grabbed hold of the fairy. "Nav? Navi, calm down, Goddesses," he breathed out, holding her far out enough to keep her furious light from blinding his eyes. "It's ok, you're tired, both of us are. We'll try that scarecrow out another day. In fact, I think I even remember the song now." He forced a smile out even though he felt the fairy pinching his knuckles and fingers to let her go. "Thank you, though, for trying."

Escaping Link's grasp, Navi found her spot on Link's shoulder and patted it as if to say 'You're welcome'. Her light even dimmed to give off her calmer mood, something Link was extremely grateful for. "So…" she started, and even as Link walked onto the bridge, he knew the next thing out of her mouth would be prodding. "Still feelin' bad about your friend?"

Link blinked, then shook his head, holding onto the rope sides of the bridge. "Not as much…I mean, it…I guess I was just tired. I was seeing things," he mumbled.

"Did he look like your friend?"

"Navi," Link said sternly. "Enough of that. The room was just playing tricks with me."

"Okaaaay," the fairy whined, flying back into the air once Link got back onto land and started walking towards the lake entrance. "Your horse might've left by now, so take your ocarina out!"

The Hylian only gave a crooked smile and pulled out the small instrument. The fairy was back to her obvious-pointing-out self and Link was thankful for that. He figured that keeping Onyx….Shadow Link from Navi might be troublesome, but he was just too tired now to try and explain things. The news given to him was still buzzing in his mind and Link was sure that he was going to lose sleep over it tonight.

"Link!" the blue light tugged at his blonde locks.

"Hm?"

"Where are we going now? Kakariko?"

"No," Link said, putting the ocarina up to his lips. "We'll take Talon up on his offer and stay there. It's closer anyhow."

"It's getting dark!" she squeaked, circling around his head as he played his horse's calling tune. "Monsters are going to come out!"

Smiling, Link raised a hand and patted Epona's head in welcome. "I know, Navi, it's called nighttime. It's the opposite of daytime."

The fairy pulled on his ear and went to hide in his hat. "Humph!"

"Well girl," the Hero whispered, patting the side of Epona's neck as he mounted. "Guess you're my only company tonight."

Epona cocked her head back, blowing air out of her nostrils as if to hurry her master up.

"Yeah, yeah," Link muttered, and raised his boot to kick her side. "HYA!" Epona grunted and took off, going from canter to gallop with another kick.

xXxXx

Talon welcomed the tired Hero with opened arms, a warm bed, and a stew made by his own daughter, grateful to help the same young man who saved his ranch only a few days before. Link accepted his generosity with thanks, ate his meal, and had a quick wash down just so he would be able to sleep soundly.

The Hero actually considered _liking_ water again after such a nice bath, especially since it was warm in contrast to that freezing hell he had gone through. He walked back in a set of pajamas Talon had forced Ingo into lending him with a towel over his head to dry his hair. Navi had flown away, a bright red glow replacing her normal blue, when Link announced that he was heading out for a bath. Looking around, Link noticed she wasn't back yet, and smiled to himself as he shut the door and carried on with drying his hair.

Walking to the window, Link took the towel off of his head and stared out at the dark farmyard. "Onyx…" he sighed. A moment passed before the Hylian shook his head and shut his window. With another thought, he opened the window up a creak; Goddesses forbid Navi explode at him tomorrow for locking her out. He readied the bed, got in, and turned the oil lamp down on his bedside. Digging his body deeper into the covers, Link closed his eyes and frowned.

_Things have all gotten…so damn complicated,_ he thought. After a minute, he smiled. "Heh…I said damn," he muttered, nuzzling his head further into the pillow. "I guess that guy is already having an effect of me- **_ACHOO!_"** Link coughed and covered his nose, sniffing and eyes watering. "What the…" he mumbled, reaching over and brightening the lamp.

On his pillow was a little yellow flower.

Picking it up, Link fingered it for a minute, then leaned back over, turned the lamp off, and got back into bed. With the flower laced in his fingers, he closed his eyes. "Dummy…" he whispered, a smile on his face as he fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: **

Look who's back after more than a year of no activity! Well, honestly, I'm sorry about the wait for those who waited. Hopefully this chapter will be well worth the wait and hopefully my writing mojo won't run out again.

You guys have been **awesome.** Thank you, _everyone_, for the emails, comments, visits to my DeviantART page, support, and love that was given. I've even gotten fanart for this story that I plan to put up in my account page once I've had the time.

The revival of Young Love is thanks to all of that, so thank you everyone, especially lil' Rosy and Erwil. You guys kicked my ass into gear by being mean **and** nice at the same time!

As for the chapter, I liked it. I rewrote it about 3-4 times, and I think I finally got what I was going for. A bipolar Dark Link with angst just enough to give into his maturity, a childish Link who misses his childhood friend and honestly yearns for his childhood back, aaaand a Navi who usually always needs an exclamation point at the end of **everything** she says.

Ladies and gentlemen, **review and relax.** Cocktail for all!


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